Liquid Lyrics

New Torae - Point of view

2011-01-05T05:06:00.001-08:00

Nice new tune to bump to from Torae - "Point of View"

An Interview with TroNic

2010-12-25T04:44:00.000-08:00

Khiry Cummings aka TroNic is a 21 year old Canadian/Jamaican emcee slash producer who is currently residing in Toronto, Canada. A non stop hustler, the young cat has just released his first EP "Unfinished Robot", a clever mix of chilled beats and honest lyrics, and was kind enough to take some time out to kick it with us at LL.

Congratulations on completing your first EP “Unfinished Robot”. How did you land on that name for the EP?

Well my name TroNic is really digital and futuristic sounding, so people tend to think of computers, synth sounds and robots, that type a thing. The thing about Robots are that they are perfect creations, they do what humans can do, plus more and more efficient. You cant work harder than a Robot. Now "Unfinished" means that I wasn't complete, so I cant be perfect, but I do have the traits of a robot itself. I work harder than everyone, i stay more efficient, but I'll make mistakes, because I'm still human. That's ones of the reasons behind the name. Also how Robots work for the people, so i always felt i work for my fans always been here to help, but i don't need help haha.

Your family moved from Toronto back to Jamaica when you were still a kid. How long did you live in Jamaica for? Do you think that the move influenced your music style?

I moved there when I was 11 and I lived there up until I was 17-18ish so I think it was 6 or 7 yrs in total pretty much but I'm always back and forth. When this goes up I'll be there. The move definitely influenced my music - I got a stronger love for it and the atmosphere there is amazing. So inspiring.

What kind of music and artists did you grow up listening to? Are they still an influence on your music or would you say your inspirations have changed these days?

I grew up listening to a lot of The Clipse, Jay-Z, Wayne, Lauryn Hill on the hip hop side, but a lot of reggae music also. The list goes on from Gregory Issacs to Bob Marley to Vybz Kartel. Pretty much most of what I listened to growing up, I still listen to now. If Lauryn still was making music I'd probably still be listening to her religiously.

Agreed, Lauryn is greatly missed these days, she needs to do a Jordan and have a proper comeback! You have produced beats for Jamaican big names Mavado and Vybz Kartel. Were you in Kingston when things got heated between them?

Yeah I was and it was so entertaining but dangerous at the same time. But there's nothing else like it. Some people took it too far though, which is why people got hurt and the government had to intervene & ask the two to shake hands and make it seem like everything was cool. That just shows how much of an impact music has over here.

You have the Kanye double threat (without the crazy). Did you always rap over your beats knowing you wanted to be an emcee too? Or was there a shift in your focus and what you wanted to achieve?

Haha, don't speak too soon about the crazy... Well yeah if it wasn't my beats it was most likely gonna be industry beats, unless I was on someone's feature. I actually can't remember which I wanted to be first - the two kinda happened cohesively, I do think I'm more gifted in writing rhymes though. I feel like I have to catch up on production and try and beat my writing skills. My process is kinda weird, I don't understand why I like some beats and not others when I make them. I'll build 5 beats and I'm lucky if I get one where I say "Shit I need to write to this"!

When you're on a beat you like, do the beat and lyrics come together in your head at the same time - or do you work on a track in separate steps?

No it's funny, cos it's kinda like if someone sat me down and said "Yo listen to these beats". I'll have an idea in my head (which usually completely changes by the end of the song) and I'll try and build a beat to go along with the though process. Sometimes I'll just make beats and be like, "Whoa hold up this is ill". Sometimes I'll go back to beats that I've made in the past and it will just spark something, when I might have thought the beat was shit previously. It's so confusing haha! It always has to feel natural though, i don't force myself or at least try not too. Sometimes a hot beat just isn't for you - that's where the true talent comes in, knowing what's best for you.

My favourite track from the EP is “Make it to the Top” with Amanda Diva, who now partners with Marsha Ambrosisus as part of the new Floetry look. How did you get introduced to Diva?

I actually contacted her over twitter. I spoke with her and got a close friend of mine to do a reference for her, I wrote the hook myself, sent it to her and she got it back to me. She is extremely talented. The first version she did was all it took.

Her voice is amazing! What is your favourite track from “Unfinished Robot” and why?

My favorite would have to be "Walk With Me" just because I love telling stories and there were hours and hours of work put into that one song. The EP is short, but so much time went into these songs, fine tuning the simplest things. If you heard the original version of this song you would be shocked. From the live instruments, to Shawn's (my engineer) mixes and ideas, to Emma (my videographer) acting out the role of the girl, i got so much help from my team on that song. It has a story line but the hook could be used for so many situations & different meanings. My team really Walked With Me through that song.

You're only 21 years of age, who would be your top 5 artists (producers or emcees) that you'd wanna work with in the next 10 years?

Jay-Z, Kanye West, Coldplay, Pharrell Williams & J. Cole.

TroNic's EP "Unfinished Robot" is now on Itunes, click here if you want to check it out.

Peace and love!
Ingers

CHRISTMAS IN BOSTON - Termanology, Kali, Reks, JFK, Statik Selektah,

2010-12-24T06:42:00.000-08:00

Merry Xmas all!

Check out the latest showoff records track. Some extreme dopeness from Statik and Showoff with all the boys getting on the Kanye and Jim Jones remix. Heaps better if you ask me!

Album Review: Group Home - "Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal"

2010-10-13T05:08:00.000-07:00

With an album name like “Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal”, the infamous name of DJ Premier listed as producer and an album dedicated to one of the greatest, I had to check out this album. My love for the old skool is no secret and with the inspiration of Group Home's dead homey and Gang Starr legend GURU, I thought this one could be a banger. My only regret is that I bought it.

Sure there are some great tracks and there is definitely a grimy yet laid-back feel to the whole album, which is largely held up by its beats, production and rhymes. The delivery and flow of the emcees on most of the tracks however starts to get seriously annoying and made me question if Lil' Dap & Melachi had even heard the beats before they hit the studio. Some tracks for me were a total miss and I've heard better amateur songs on myspace that I wouldn't buy. I couldn't get with “Get out the Car” at all. The chorus is dull and monotone and the first verse is way off beat. “Ghetto Soldiers” would be a killer tune - mad delivery in the lyricism. Even Young Luchiano sounds decent on this track, though he struggles to keep up with intensity, flow and even his jokes. “There's no swagger like Young/ make them fuckers call me monkey off the shit that I've just flung.” Seriously, my 2 year old niece is funnier than that.

This awkwardness of the album continues until the end. “Up against the Wall” is just as bad, the delivery is off beat and sounds awkward at best. “Ear to the Streets” with Young Luchiano is actually kinda nice, as they reminisce on their thuggish upbringing, though the chorus sounds like Busta with brain damage. This monotony of dull deliveries seems to continue throughout the album until the track, “The Legacy" which features GURU on the track before he passed.

Perhaps motivated to sound good on the track with one of the greatest, Group Home deliver my favourite verses on the whole album. So why couldn't they bring this intensity and delivery to the rest of their tracks? I'm guessing they were rushed with their album so that they could be the first to come out with the dedication to GURU. NAS questioned the group's hiatus on “Where are they now” and although an answer none the less, I feel the group have fallen off a long way since their Gang Starr features and the 95' album drop “Livin' Proof”.

Group Home & GURU - The Legacy

Even though I enjoyed the laid back and old skool vibe of Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal, if it wasn't for the production and efficiency of Preemo and Lil' Dap's skillfull lyricism at times, this album would have been garbage.

☢ ☢ 2 Nukes

And now you know,
Ingers

Liquid Lyrics presents Dazed & Flawlezz

2010-10-05T02:56:00.000-07:00

What's good?

Liquid Lyrics is travelling world wide promoting rap and hip hop for the love of it. Getting tired of a lot of the commercial, over-hyped and over-edited tunes and videos which are being presented to the easily influenced pop world these days, Liquid Lyrocs tries to promote and focus on the skills and intelligence behind rap. Our videos focus on the lyrics and talent of emcees worldwide as we film clips in one take acapella or with a beatbox. This is the first of the edited videos that Liquid Lyrics have filmed so we hope you enjoy them and the others still to come.

Dazed & Flawlezz were kind enough to spend some time with Liquid Lyrics. The result was a mad day chillin' and filming before finishing the night at a Dazed N Flawlezz gig in Canberra. The cypher was nailed first go by the boys and we only had to film 3 takes - and the result was awesome.

Liquid Lyrics presents Dazed & Flawlezz

You can check out the boys on facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6473420907&ref=ts

Or check em out on Myspace:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6473420907&ref=ts

Peace,
Ingers

Rapper Tag Rnd IV: FRAKSHA

2010-10-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

Rapper Tag Rnd IV: The Nine High simile king, UK lad now Melbournite FRAKSHA smashes the beat! This is one of my favourites.

Rapper Tag Rnd IV: FRAKSHA with some hot bars.

Peace
Ingers

Rapper Tag Rnd III: Brad Strut.

2010-10-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

This is the 3rd round of Rapper Tag with none other than ex pat Melbournite lad, now London Large Livin' emcee Brad Strut. Check it out!!

Peace
Ingers

RAPPER TAG - ROUND II Urthboy

2010-10-05T02:25:00.000-07:00

What up playboys and playgirls??

Elefant Traks legend and The Herd O.G. Urthboy himself blesses the mic with some lyrical love before passing it to now London lad Brad Strut!

RAPPER TAG - ROUND II Urthboy

Peace
Ingers

RAPPER TAG - DOPE Concept by 360

2010-10-05T02:18:00.000-07:00

So this idea has been done on Youtube before and it's the best thing about having such a massive online community.

360 came up with a great idea to promo aussie emcees! One beat, one rapper then they pass it on. So far it's 360, Urthboy, Brad Strut, and Bias B just got called out! This is the first in the series...check it out!

RAPPER TAG RND I: 360

Peace
Ingers

My top 5 funniest rap tracks...

2010-09-27T02:18:00.000-07:00

What up homeboys and homegirls?!

I was chillin' in Amsterdam at a coffeeshop today, when a Luuuuuuda track came on - Hip Hop Quotables. It's one of my favourites and is up there as of the funniest tracks I've ever heard. Sure most punchlines are cleverly humourous anyway... but this track is straight comedic fire. Which got me thinking - what are my top 5 tracks with the funniest lyrics in them?

It's Monday, so at the very least I hope these tracks brighten the starts of your weeks! Lemme know if you agree or disagree and make sure to hit me up with your favourite funny tracks too - add us here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Liquid-Lyrics/257706653944?ref=search

Peace,
Ingers

5. Sporty Thievz - No Pigeons. Most of you will know the TLC song that dudes made fun of here - "No Scrubs". This track was the rebuttal for the fellas...and funny as hell!

4. Biggie - Just Playin'. "I'd prolly go to jail for fuckin Patti Labelle/ ooh Regina Belle, she'd probably do me swell/Jasmine Guy was fly/Mariah's kinda scary/wait a minute, what about my honey Mary/the jeans they fitting like a glove/I had a crush on you since real love!" 'Nuff said.

3. The Pharcyde - Ya Mama. Old skool, but still funny as ever, is this track by these hip hop pioneers!

2.Ludacris - Hip Hop Quotables. 2nd overall and this track comes with more punches than a Pacquiao fight. but with an opener like "Hi, my name's Ludacris and I'm high as giraffe pussy" it has to be the #1 song for funniest first line of a rap song! Surely?!
Ludacris - Hip Hop Quotables

1. Afroman - Crazy Rap. One of the funniest tracks I've heard and it even has the video to match, this is shit talking at it's best! Afroman also mentions Australia in it, so he gets mad love back from me.

Video Blog - Dead Prez, Bigger than Hip Hop Cypher

2010-08-12T01:28:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm travelling. I'm bored. I have a MacBook Pro I gotta use more. A gang of lyrics I've written over the years and a heap of beats on my playlist. So this is the result - far from a perfect recording but a bit of fun and I hope you enjoy it none the less! :)

Interview with Jumbledat

2010-08-12T01:05:00.000-07:00

What up homeboys and homegirls?

Here's an interview I did for Bark magazine I did a few months back, they are really cool guys make sure you check em out!

Those that know me well know that my thirst for new hip hop is never quenched and my latest discovery is a crew that has impressed me to no end with their smooth sounds. Jumbledat are an ensemble of diversely talented musicians who now call Melbourne home, after migrating here from Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, where the crew all originally met.

As the name suggests, Jumbledat are an amalgamation of assorted musical talents and genres, which together, equate to a very energetic but smooth, jazzy hip hop sound. The group itself has 6 core members who soulfully play the percussion, keys, guitar, trombone and drums respectively plus 2 emcees who grace the tracks with intelligent rhymes and wordplay. In fact, the only thing not jumbled about these musicians is their shared talent.

Luke who plays the keys for Jumbledat was kind enough to spare a few minutes to answer some questions for Bark Magazine.

Liquid Lyrics: Let's go back to the forming of Jumbledat - how did you guys meet?

Luke: Initially we met in high school and we were certainly mates before band-mates, though the music definitely forged a stronger bond between us. A few of us had been jamming together for a while in our last years and decided to play a couple of shows at some parties and local venues in K-Town (Katoomba in the blue mountains). Our initial musical uniting stemmed from a shared love of jazz and hip hop. At that point I loved jazz but knew little about hip hop, and Perrin (our co-front man) loved hip hop but knew little about jazz so the combination just seemed to work. Although we were very musically naive, there was something really exciting about fusing two styles that have such experimental possibilities.

Liquid Lyrics: When that spark came for you all to jam together for the first time, did you ever think that you would all be able to gel so well?

Luke: I think we gelled so well at the start because of our musical innocence! We just had fun, and never placed too much emphasis on what was right or wrong. Later down the track we became more critical, but the connection we share always stems back to our interplay onstage, and in feeding off each other's musical spontaneity.

Liquid Lyrics: With all of the different musical influences involved, how do you guys manage the creativity and song creation?

Luke: Our song writing is a very collaborative process. Everyone has the opportunity to put their own input into the music. In terms of so many people with such diverse tastes, I would say it's more beneficial than not. At times it can create clutter, in which case we have to strip everything back and start with a simple concept, but overall we bounce off each other when jamming and expand on each other's ideas to write material. The songs generally grow from a personal idea, or concept, and then we layer our songs instrumentally much like a produced song. I guess you could say our songs are very reflective of hip hop production, just transposed into a live context.

Liquid Lyrics: Does Jumbledat have any plans to include more instruments or musical genres in the future, or do you feel the sound is jumbled enough for now?

Luke: We saw a reformation of sorts in the past few months as a result of band members leaving. Consequently, we now play with a heap of different musicians so our style and instrumentation is constantly evolving. It would be stupid to box them in by forcing them to learn the existing songs note for note and to copy the styles of the original musicians, so we let them create their own sound. This approach makes every gig different. In the future we're considering using live production elements in our show, like turntables or a triggered MPC, though it's still very much in it's experimental stages. As long as it's pushing our creativity, anything can happen!

If you have ever been a fan of A Tribe Called Quest or The Roots, if you are generally a fan of Australian hip hop or if you just want to support raw musical talent, then get on board! If you're up for a fun night, make sure you get out and support these guys at their gigs. To catch a Jumbledat gigs, check them out and show them some love at www.myspace.com/jumbledat. Also make sure you check out the video clip to "Momentus"

One Love
Ingers

Liquid Lyrics in Berlin

2010-04-05T01:08:00.000-07:00

So here I am in writing to you from Berlin. The clock on my wrist says it is only 17:10 but my body clock says that it is that plus 8 hours worth of time-zonal difference plus 12 hours of lost time from the plane trip over checking out the cute girl in seat 46K (she was sex on a stick!). This is however beside the point, as in my zombie-like, sleep-deprived state of mind, something has become very apparent. The need to clarify just who the hell we (Liquid Lyrics) are, why we do what we do and what our blogspot is about. So make a cuppa or crack open a coldie as I explain the blog.

First, who the hell are we? At the moment we are a team of 3 hip hop heads who are determined to bring you interesting opinions, reviews, photos and videos of local, interstate and international hip hop which you may find interesting.

Liquid Lyrics

First off, my main man Mouse is a hilarious filo cat who loves hip hop almost as much as bball and his diverse collection of flat brims and white sneaks. Although he is often behind the scenes busying himself as our cameraman and IT guru, he is the most diligent of the bunch -always coming up with fly ideas and posts for you guys.

Mouse

Next is Bal, our Skip Hop guru, rap-purist and journalist extraordinaire. Involved in the business of reviews and getting raw footage from countless shows and concerts. He is about to jet to the LA to see the ‘Rock the Bells’ festival – possibly the craziest amalgamation of hip hop artists this year to bring back some crazy stories, photos and reviews! The lineup* looks insane check it out at the bottom of the page!

Bal

The final member is me, Ingers or Jesta. I’m the guy that films, edits and sometimes spits in the exclusive cypher vids. I’m obsessed with hip hop and am working hard to bring you interesting blogs, photos and vids from Aus and around the world (photos and vids of Germany and Sweden
coming soon!).

Jesta

Finally I should explain the blog. The blog is our way of exposing artists we love, our project ideas as well as promoting a sample of articles, photos and vids until our website is done and live. Hopefully the diversity of the blogs won’t scare you off, but instead will bring something different to the table each time you guys decide to check us out. We put a lot of effort into everything we do and we hope it shows in every blog you read until the website is up. Most importantly we hope you guys get something out of it and with this in mind, feedback and love are always appreciated.

More to come soon!

Much love, Ingers.

YOUTUBE Playlist - Liquid Lyrics Love

2010-02-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

WATUP Playboys and playgirls?

For the past year I've been bookmarking a whole gang of videos that I've stumbled across/have had recommended to me/straight out searched for on youtube. I've finally compiled them all into one super-dooper-head-nodding-hiphop-rawshit-dopeness-madnuts playlist!

It's over 100 vids right now and is a very diverse list with artists from all over the globe featuring on them. The one thing they all have in common is talent and love - and this makes them good music. No fake shit here. So if you wanna just sit back, relax and chill out to some dope tunes without changing the channel or dealing with the random songs that other playlists offer...just click here and press play instead!

If you want to check all songs or skip to a specific song click here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=869F4A906032A133

Make sure you play loud. I know this list is far from perfect or extensive as it is...so please hit me with your favourite vids so that I can keep adding to this list!

Peace and love
Ingers

Album Review: Statik Selektah - "100 Proof the Hangover"

2010-02-08T04:26:00.000-08:00

Sup peeps?

Twenty ten, 2K10, 2 thou plus 3 squared add one... whatever you call it is here! Will this year be as big as 2009 for hip hop however? I'm unsure, but so far, so good. I've been reminiscing recently, bumpin' some old skool Busta Rhymes and Naughty By Nature in anticipation for their appearances at Good Vibrations festival in Sydney next weekend - it should be NUTS!

I've also decided to start reviewing albums instead of tracks to give LL some direction. Albums are rated on their bomb factor at the end with a radiation scale of 1 to 5 ☢. The scale? 1 ☢ is not even worth getting paid to illegally download. 5 ☢ is so good it's worth picking up from the artist him/herself and paying in gold bullion. Easy.

I'm a massive fan of Statik Selektah so the timeliness of his third and latest album being dropped last week on Feb 2nd, aside from it being 2 days before my birthday (dopest present ever) was perfect for the first album I chose to review properly for Liquid Lyrics!

Statik Selektah - "100 Proof the Hangover"

I had been looking forward to Statik's new album '100 Proof The Hangover' for what seemed like an eternity after having a musical hangover from indulging in way too much of his last release 'Stick 2 the Script' as well as other mixtapes he has helped produce. Termanology and Skyzoo are just some examples of emcees who have a permanent place in all of my playlists as a result of Statik's previous album!

Despite the sample heavy nature of each of the beats, which I respect and usually enjoy, I was left feeling a little disappointed with the head-nod factor of this album on some tracks. Even with the superstar guestlist of respected and raw-as-fuck emcees that his albums provide I was left expecting a little more! I'm not going to lie though - my expectations for every track on this album were sky high based on the quality of Statik's last album and recent collabos with other artists.

Having got the slight disappointment out of the way, most of the joints are ill no doubt...the beats are spicy hot and the spits are colder than Antarctica before Global Warming. But that's what you should expect from an album with both the producer and the caliber of the artists invovled! Yet I was left disappointed by tracks I really had high hopes for considering the above. "Night People" (featuring Freeway, Red Cafe & Masspike Miles) did nothing for me and nor did "Do it to Death" (featuring Lil Fame, Havoc and Kool G Rap), which was weak considering the accolade of the artists involved.

The good news however is that the album was full of bangers and will continue to grow on you with each and every listen, such is the diversity of this album. The stand out tracks for me were: 'Critically Acclaimed' (Lil Fame, Sean Price & Saigon), 'Follow Me' (Smif n Wessun), 'Life is Short' (Consequence) - still love every Cons track I hear- and "Eighty Two" (Termanology) which is one of the lyrical highlights of the album.

My favourite of the lot however was by far 'The Coast' (featuring Evidence, Fashawn & Kali). The beat is crispy smooth but hard enough to make Busta nod his head to the track. Add to that the verbal genius of these 3 emcees with gems like:
"But now I'm on point like a javelin, way beyond battlin'/
I'd've stayed travellin, haters stop babblin'/
Remember this California's my residence/
All my peoples' dilated - just ask Evidence"

Check out 'The Coast' here:

Check out the track 'Critically Acclaimed' here:

Despite my disappointment with a few tracks, you'd be crazy not to get this album, particularly if you want to boost your knowledge of some of the best emcees in the game in the USA right now. This is because Statik's quality control is second to none and he always ensures he is working with the crème de la crème of artists. If you miss the days when hip hop had feeling, artists worked hard to earn a crust and lyrics had integrity, then you'd be loco not to buy this banger!

☢ ☢ ☢ ☢ 4 nukes!

Peace and love!
Ingers

Top 5 Artists of 2009

2010-01-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

What up peeps?!

Happy New Years! Twenty 10 is here and it's that time to present the 5 emcees/artists that impressed me most in Hip Hop last year! Two thousand and nine was a MONSTER year for hip hop worldwide and picking a top 15 artists, let alone a top 5, would still be extremely difficult. With this in mind I've decided to be biased and pick the artists from Australia and the USA which I was most impressed with in 2009.

At this point I've gotta mention Joe 'Mouse' Budden, who only narrowly missed out on a top 5 spot even though he had a killer 2009 too. He released a solo album as well as a killer debut album with his crew Slaughterhouse, but was pushed out of contention by fellow crew member Royce Da 5'9" this year. Anyway, whether you love the top 5 list or hate it, make sure you hit me with your opinions, comments and own lists!

#5 Hyjak N Torcha

After a 5 year break Sydney boys Hyjak, Torcha & DJ Bizzonez came back to put their stamp on the game again and to grace Oz Hip Hop with their (improved) presence! Their latest album 'Unregrettable' sounds more mature and is a vast improvement on their older works and mixtapes.

Aside from the notable production improvement, their lyrical content is deeper (make sure you check the track "What's wrong with the world") and their tracks somehow seem more organised in their latest album. They also show off their improved flow and delivery on tracks such as "Change".

The boys have also hustled extremely well to collaborate with respected artist MURS on the track "No Regrets" - the highlight of the album in my opinion. A massive step forward for these boys and a vast improvement is why they make my top 5 list and I'm glad to see Oz Hip Hop go in this direction!

My favourite tune from this album as mentioned before was the track "No Regrets" featuring MURS and they made a very interesting video for it.

#4 Wale

Wale released an album!! A proper album. Yessir. This was the deciding factor on him making my top 5 list without a doubt. The emcee from Washington D.C. first got my attention with his remix of Justice's track 'D.A.N.C.E', his love of colourful kicks and ill remixes on his mixtapes (5 to date for those who weren't counting!!).

The year 2009 started off big for Olubowale with the massive mixtape release 'Back to the feature' in April! Produced by a legend in the game, 9th Wonder, this mixtape was on replay for a good fortnight in my car and featured the likes of K'naan, Torae, Joe Budden, Skyzoo, Freeway, Beanie Seagal, Memphis Bleek, Royce Da 5'9, Bun B, Cool, Dre and many more with him.

After touring with Jigga, N.E.R.D & newbie to the game J.Cole, Wale's debut album was finally released in November last year. 'Attention Deficit disorder' was under the executive production guide of Mark Ronson and really lived up to the hype surrounding it. Much like his mixtapes, the album had a lot of guest appearances from big names and producers and his dedication and hard-work really paid off! The album was a success and one of my favourites of the year.

Tracks "Mirrors" with Bun B and "90201" were close runners up, but the track "Shades" feat Chrisette Michele was my favourite of the album.

#3 Hilltop Hoods
With the reputation of being Australia's best and most well-known hip hop group also comes a stigma of being too poppy and being called a sell-out. After the release of "The Hard Road" in 2006 however, many were claiming, that despite the album's success and popularity with the mainstream, that The Hoods had just been riding the popularity wave and that the album perhaps achieved undeserved accolade.

Now fast-forward many performances, festival appearances and 3 years later to the year 2009 - more than a decade after the group's first album release. Many hip hop heads were wondering which direction they would take their next album - more poppy or more hip hop. I thought the former and was very skeptical that I would find any real hip hop depth on the album that I would actually love. But I was wrong - the album delivered for newer fans to the crew and the genre as well as old skool hip hop heads alike.

Of course it wasn't the rawest album all year, but they delivered with a high quality hip hop album that surpassed their last album and impressed many. This and their devoted passion at every performance I have seen them in over the last few years is the reason that they get my vote and my #3 place. Best song on the album is "Classic Example" featuring one of my favourite emcees Pharoahe Monch.

#2 K'NAAN
Born and raised in Mogadishu, Somalia, K'naan was brought up in an environment full of poverty, political turmoil and civil war. When he was 12 years old his mother succeeded in obtaining a refugee visa which gave them safe voyage to the USA. Having moved to Toronto not long after, K'naan practised his English outside of school by listening to hip hop CDs - most notably Nas and Karim.

The social and political consciousness of his poetry and lyrics added to his love of African sounds and acoustic recordings make K'Naan sound like a hybrid of Mos Def and Wyclef Jean - far from an insulting comparison! His album 'Troubador' has strong African sounds resonating through it and the beats always have a very natural, earthy sound. His talent for story-telling comes through in songs like "Take a minute" and "Somalia" and he is not shy to show off his lyricism and word play in songs like "The African Way" nor his delivery on harder tracks like "ABC's")

His socially conscious lyrics delivered soulfully raw over African singing and beats on this album have impressed me no end and is why K'naan gets my #2 spot! My favourite tune from K'naan last year however was the track about his homeland 'Somalia'.

#1 Royce Da 5'9"
Tick tick tick... BOOM! The verbal spit Smith N Wesson from Detroit has come a long way since his debut album in 2002 ("Rock City") from which most can only remember the catchy, Preemo-produced hit "Boom". But 2009 was truly 5'9" 's year with a dope solo album as well as a classic release with his crew "Slaughterhouse".

Fresh off his mixtape's release in 2008 ("Bar Exam 2") Royce kicked off 2009 with the release of his crew's debut and self-titled album
"Slaughterhouse" in August. What better way to bring hip hop back to its rawer and less poppy roots, than by putting 4 of the most respected and renowned lyricists together in a super crew!

So Royce Da 5"9, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz & Crooked I got together and made a classic collabo album! The ablum included big hits such as "The One" (link below), "Salute" with Pharoahe Monch and "Onslaught 2" with Fatman Scoop among other bangers and truly impressed even the fussiest of hip hop heads.

On top of this success Royce 'Nickel Nine' also released a solo album soon after with "Street Hop". And no, not just an album full of filler tracks and one club banger to make a bit of extra cash on the side. No. A real, legit proper dope as fuck solo album called "Street Hop". Executive production by DJ Premier and features from Phonte, Busta & Bun B as well as other Slaughterhouse members make this album one of the best of the year to my mind. Far from using leftover and scrapbook rhymes he had no other use for, Nickel Nine expertly enunciates each clever simile and excerpt of alliteration with dedicated ease.

So two dope albums in 2k9, plus he is already planning a new mixtape release in 2010 called "Bar Exam 3". It's this diligence and dedication to the game as well as being a great poster boy for lyricism that get Nickel Nine the #1 spot for 2009!! My favourite track off 'Street Hop' was the track "Count for Nothing" (below). Check it out!

And now you know!
Peace and Love,
Ingers

2009 In Review.....

2010-01-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

G'day homies....

without further ado here is my 2009 wrap-up..

Top 5 Albums of the Year...

5. "Radio" by Exile.

Exile created this masterpiece using only sampled material from free to air radio. Throughout the album he takes the listener on journey through his political stance, spirituality, and love.

No rapping, this album is no joke. Highlights include, "watchout!" "it's coming down", "the sound is god", "love line" and "in love".

4. "Blakroc" by Blakroc ( The Black Keys & Guests)

A kind of "supergroup" from the Black Keys ( an american blues/rock duo from Ohio ) and Dame Dash ( Big Mouth and former CEO of Roc-a-fella ) featuring a swag of dope rappers and singers. The marketing on this was awesome - each week, a video was released on youtube called the blakroc sessions, where it would show you behind the scenes of one of the songs. Black keys would have the music ready, and the rapper would come in, listen, then write their part, then record. It showed a seldom seen side of the recording process and an insight into how talented these rappers are. Highlights are "Hoochie Coo" w/ Mos Def, Jim Jones. "Dollaz & Sense" w/ Pharoahe Monch, RZA. "What you do to me" w/ Billy Danze, Jim Jones, Nikki Wray.

3. "Boy Meets World" by Fashawn.

Fashawn exploded on the scene with this stellar debut album, produced by Exile.

In my opinion the future of West Coast Hip Hop, Fash, collabs with Evidence, Aloe Blacc, Blu, Planet Asia, and narrates his life story thus far with a refreshing flow, honest and insightful lyrics. Highlights include, "life as a shorty", "ecology", "freedom", "stars" and "our way".

Production really lifts this album into something special, and a dope vid for "life as a shorty".

2. "Man on the Moon" by Kid Cudi.

Another debut album, with "man on the moon", Kid Cudi lets listeners inside the mind of Scott Mescudi. An insightful album drawing similarities to Outkast's "Aquemini" and KanYe's "808's". Cudi shows a great musical maturity, and creates his masterpiece through left field production, swirling hooks and sing-songy verses. Highlights include "Solo Dolo", "Soundtrack to my life", "Heart of a lion", "pursuit of happiness" and "hyyerr". The Moon Man has Landed.

1. "The Ecstatic" by Mos Def.

With his 4th solo album, the mighty mos gives us his most polished lp since "black on both sides". The ecstatic is the crowning jewell on Dante Smith's legendary career. Mos Proves that he is still one of the best on the mic, choosing to rap over unconventional beats, with politically fuelled lyrics. Highlights include, "Auditorium" w/Slick Rick, "Priority", "Quiet Dog Bite Hard", "Life in Marvelous Times", "Workers Comp"and "Casa Bey".

I'll drop my top ten for the decade soon.

Peas.

Tbag3000.

♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Need new tunes?? Check these out... ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫

2009-10-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

Good day Sirs and Madams,

What's Liquid Lyrics you say? Very valid question - it feels like so long since I have written reviews that I can hardly remember myself. It's not like a lot hasn't happened either - Jigga released BP 1 000 003, Raekwon dropped an album (and what a BANGER it is), the Hoods dropped arguably one of their best albums (and even got Pharoahe Monch on a track). Now, fresh off the Slaughterhouse album drop, Royce Da 5'9" drops what's looking to be one of my favourite albums of the year - check out the track from that album with Busta below.

In Liquid Lyrics news, we've got 2 new recruits to help write reviews. Both of them are hip hop nerds and make Immortal Technique seem poppier than Lady Gaga. Ok maybe not. But their love and knowledge of the game is immense and I absorb knowledge just from hanging out with dudes. Profiles of them are to come when their reviews hit LL pages.

Finally Bal is back from his adventures overseas - check out the highlights of his trip in the next blog! Mouse is also back from The Philippines where he was donating his time to helping over 3000 disadvantaged kids through the game of basketball! Hit up www.bigbangballers.org for more stories of the boys' time OS fighting youth poverty!!!

Enough small talk. Lets check some tracks.

Royce Da 5'9" feat. Busta Rhymes - 'Dinner Time'

I wish there was/can't wait for a proper video clip to be made for this song. If it's half as good as this track or even the album it will be amazing. Yessir, Royce Da 5'9" aka. Nickel Nine is bizzack and better than I have ever heard him spit! The lyricism has been his forté since day 1 and although his flow has been solid since back then too, somehow he has managed to step it up another notch. Just check how he goes pound for pound with Bussa Buss in this song! Insanity! Not convinced? Well I raise you all in with one certain DJ Premier as executive producer of the album. Just like his most well known track with Preemo, BOOM - I present to you an album with no skippable tracks. The album 'Street Hop' comes out officially October 20, so make sure you get off your stank butt and buy 2 copies at least.

Wale feat. Pharell - 'Inhibitions'

Alternate link: http://www.hiphopmusicdotcom.com/wale-feat-pharrell-inhibitions-let-loose.html

Wale gets a lot of hate, but I'm def looking forward to him dropping this album. 'Inhibitions' is a track off his DEBUT Album called 'Attention: Deficit' which is set to drop November 10 this year. This track is a wicked combination of a Pharell flavoured beat and chorus with a Wale lyrical topping and will surely be a club banger soon. For the most part this cat's delivery is on point and every word and ryhme pair is intricately articulated to the beat. There is a period however around the start of the 2nd verse that really annoys me, where it sounds like he ran out of content and just used filler rhyme.

"Now tell em.....is in the house/ Throw your money in the air and stand in the couch/ Laugh at the money that's stuck in the chandalier/Tell them girls right here that the man right CHYYYYEA"

Hmm..I'd like to think that I'm not hating too hard to expect Wale to come up with better lyrics than that to describe his wealth and partying ways. Call me homey I'll ghostwrite for ya!

Anyways the album is said to have production creds from Mark Ronson, Kanyeezy, Just Blaze and 9th Wonder too. It's also rumoured to feature Lady Gagger, Gucci Mane, Bun B, Dr Dre & Pharell. Not sure I'll go out and buy this one on the day it comes out but definitely worth checking out!!

Horrorshow feat Jane Tyrrell - 'In My Haze'

I saw Horrorshow at Transit Bar a few months ago and was very impressed with their performance. This smooth as butter track is off the album 'Inside Story' and is on a different level to the previous two tracks I hit you with above. The harmony throughout this track is soothing and more chilled out than my freezer - and trust me the louder you turn it up the better. As a rap fan we're used to hearing samples and simple choruses designed to leave jingles in your head...and for this very reason you gotta pay props to the group for creating this raw sound. You also have to respect the spits in this track - very real, personal and delivered with sincerity. I'm gonna cop their CD tomorrow.

Horrorshow are touring Oz at the moment on the 'The Spitshine Tour' with Urthboy (who also has a new album out) and their CD 'Inside Story' dropped early October. Support Skip Hop and get on board. Make sure you check out a concert if you can and enjoy what this talented group has to offer! http://www.myspace.com/horrorshowcrew

And now you know! Peace and Love...
Ingers aka Jesta

Freestyle Friday

2009-09-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

Watup watup!

Here's a clip of one of my favourite so called youtube rappers, cyphering over a beat in his car. This was a clip sent in to try to win a competition for the well known rap magazine 'Vibe'. I personally can't believe he didn't win the comp. Anyways check the clip - I chose this one for y'all as Wax has some original similes which are genius plus the charisma in his delivery is really what being a great MC is all about. As Ali G would say, Check it - Restekpah!

Peace!!
Ingers

Wax - Cypher for Vibe Competition

Sunday Sounds - Jams for the week.

2009-09-06T04:56:00.000-07:00

Sup peoples?

It's a new week... 7 new days...so I've picked 7 old tunes to balance it all out! Everyone around Oz is pretty much getting summer weather now except for us Can Diegans still. It is officially Spring though so its GOTSTA get warmer soon surely. Until then however I've got some old skool heat to warm your ears up this week.

Word to your mamas and mamas' mamas!
Ingers

Monday: Rakim - When I B on tha Mic

The actual video clip for this song can't be embedded but can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KZbdFyzkds&feature=related

Tuesday: 2up - why do i try so hard?

Wednesday: Jadakiss - Knock yourself out

Thursday: Big Pun & Fat Joe - Twinz

Friday: Bliss N Eso - Party at my place

Saturday: Mase - Another story to tell

Sunday: Fabolous ft Nate Dogg - Can't Deny it

Freestyle Friday

2009-09-02T06:50:00.000-07:00

Como ustedes amigos?

Maaan! Everybody's albums seem to be leaking at the moment. Kid Cudi, Jay-Z & Raekwon's albums have all leaked before their respective release dates. Since I think all 3 are dope lyricists though I figured I would post some cyphers from each instead of the tracks that have leaked out of respect for this Freestyle Friday!

I've heard a few of the leaked tracks from each and for the most part enjoyed them - particularly Jigga's "Brooklyn". Hova is apparently not too cut about the leaks (rumour has it that Timbo leaked them anyway) and is stoked with the mostly good reviews he is getting for his tracks. Here is one of Jay-Z's cyphers from back in the day on Big Tig's show 'The Basement'. 'The Blueprint 3' sounds like it will be another dope Jigga album, so go out and buy that isshh when it comes out on 9/11 as they say over thurr.

Jay-Z - The Basement Cypher

Kid Cudi on the other hand is apparently pissed that his tracks got leaked. Rumour has it that Cudi's newly leaked tracks from his soon to be released album (particularly the collabo with MGMT) come with a disclaimer that they are unfinished. This probably has something to do with the masses of bad press he has received for them, with most reviews saying that his really old track with Common and Kanyeezy (the Lady Gaga spin off track 'poke her face') is the best on the album. Not good news at all. Check his cypher out anyway, no denying the kid has flava when he spits bars. If you're a fan remember to cop his up and coming album 'The Man on the Moon: The End of Day' which is due to drop September 15th!

Kid Cudi - Freestyle with 88 bars

Raewkon The Chef! The year was '95 the last time this dude dropped a solo album!! He has kept pushing his album back since 2007 too and I was starting to doubt it even existed! Everybody has been anticipating his album since his last banger 'Only built 4 Cuban Linx" and although everyone knows you can't top a classic debut album, the reviews so far have said that it is as good as his first and def worth the 14 year wait!! Here's a Raekwon and Ghostface free from back in the day after his first album dropped...if you're a fan remember to cop his 2nd solo album 'Only built 4 Cuban Linx II" come September 8th!!
"I pulverise wise guys who drive by..."

Raekwon and Ghostface -Freestyle on air mid 90s

And now you know!
Ingers

Sunday Sounds - Jams for the week.

2009-08-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

Comment ca va?!

I can almost smell spring, can't wait for this gloomy weather to be replaced with some fresh, warm and inspiring weather. Hopefully it will be warm enough to crack open some dulce cervezas with some mates outside soon - Friday sessions after work are boss in spring!

Just in case it doesn't heat up though, here are some tunes to bring some heat until those days arrive!

Word to your mamas and mamas' mamas!
Ingers

Monday: The Cool Kids - Delivery Man

Tuesday: Fresh Daily - Get Over

Wednesday: Spit Syndicate - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Thursday: Notorious B.I.G. - I got a story to tell

Friday: High & Mighty feat. Mos Def & Skillz - Bboy Document 99

Saturday: DMX - No Love For Me (2pac remix)

Sunday: Ludacris - Blueberry Yum Yum

Freestyle Friday

2009-08-27T06:56:00.001-07:00

Chhhyeeea. Let's do a Freestyle Friday!

Like 106 & Park did, I'll be bringing you inspiring and impressive freestyles and cyphers from around the world, from superstars to average joes who kick it with the best of them. For the non hip hop heads reading this, I've provided definitions of freestyles and cyphers. The main similarity between them is the spontaneity when delivered. That is, even if the lyrics are rehearsed (like a cypher) they are typically delivered in an unprepared environment, to a new beat or to a crowd who has not heard them before.

When the LL website drops you'll be able to see the cyphers that we've filmed of local artists to check out and appreciate their skills too. In the meantime and since it's the first week I've linked up my favourite freestyle and cypher from Youtube as examples for you.

And now you know!
Ingers

A freestyle is an improvisational form of rapping, performed with few or no previously composed lyrics, which is said to reflect a direct mapping of the mental state and performing situation of the artist. It is non-scripted, non-rehearsed, uncut, and the rawest form of hip-hop. Artists will often refer to places and objects in their immediate setting. Freestyle rapping forces an individual to think on the spot, describe his or her surroundings, and, to a certain degree, rap uncensored from what is inside. It is similar in this sense to improvisational music or acting and draws comparisons to improvisational jazz in particular.

Freestyle: Mos Def

A cypher is to an emcee the equivalent of what a jam session is to a musician. This is typically a group of emcees exchanging written and or improvised lyrics, often in a circle so that all have the chance to listen and contribute.

Cypher: Papoose, Styles P & Lupe Fiasco

Sunday Sounds - Jams for the week.

2009-08-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

As Barney Stinson would say, WHAT UP!?

Firstly - Mouse and I have been pretty busy the last few weeks raising money for a great cause that we're involved with, so apologies for not keeping with the weekly reviews of new jams by overseas and Oz MCs! We are using the game of basketball to try to raise $11, 000 for disadvantaged kids from all over the globe - it's hard work and very fulfilling, so check out the site if you have a few mins mayyyyne! www.bigbangballers.org. I promise there will be reviews coming by Friday this week, so in total there will be 3 weeks worth of new isssssh for you now.

In the meantime, here is the first Sunday Sounds blog. Every week I'll hit you up with 7 songs that I've been feeling of recent, without review or opinion from this potty mouthed hip hop nerd. Those that know me, know that I always have tunes playing all day, every day. I wake up and press play on my CD Player while I get ready for work, listen to music in the car on the way there and all day while I'm working. Then after a day of solid tunes nothing keeps me happier than putting on some more...haha. Every day in my life almost becomes a PLAYLIST I guess. Given that I listen to a lot of wack shit throughout the week too though, I'll just pick the best 7 to last you the whole week. From old skool right through to brand-new jams, hope you enjoy 'em each week!

Word to your mamas and mamas' mamas!
Ingers

Monday: Drapht - "Who Am I?"

Tuesday: Fresh Daily - "Assassination Tango"

Wednesday: Hilltop Hoods ft Pharoah Monch - "Classic Example"

Thursday: Joell Ortiz ft Jadakiss & Saigon - "Hip Hop" (Remix)

Friday: Consequence ft GLC & Really Doe - "Disperse"

Saturday: Mickey Factz ft The Cool Kids - "Rockin N Rollin"

Sunday: Talib Kweli - "The Blast"

♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Need new tunes?? Check these out... ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫

2009-08-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Good day Sirs and Madams,

LL crew has been pretty busy trying to set up the website recently so not much love has been given to the blog. Mouse and I have also been helping set up Big Bangs (BB) ventures here and overseas. BB is a charity which uses basketball to raise money for disadvantaged kids, as well as encouraging them to study and belong to a team.

Of course there is always time for new music in between work and bball so here are some tracks that have made an impression on me for better or for worse (Ludacris!!). Feel free to let me know if you hate 'em or love 'em, either on Facebook or by leaving comments here. I'm always looking for new tracks to bump to (aren't we all) so if you have other suggestions or hot tips, please send 'em my way - with or without opinions and I'll post em up.

D'Opus and Roshambo - 'Voyage'

Before I get to the new issssh, check this track out from local Canberra boys D'opus and Roshambo, which has been in my head since Monday. Even if you've heard it before, play it again - it's worth it! The vocals are creamy and effortless as always from Roshambeezy and D'opus really made a banger with this big-band, soulful beat and sample. Check the dope clip too and if you love it, support local talent and go buy their album 'The Switch', bitch. Word.

Lil Scrappy feat. Ludacris - 'Addicted to Money'

Are you serious Luda? Only thing that makes this track slightly bearable is the beat! Hip Hop must be dead if you think spitting rhymes (if I can call them that) about this overdone topic is going to help your career or get you some fans back. It doesn't even have a decent chorus and even 50 Cent did this a trillion times better with his almost identical track "I get money".

With gems like: "I'm addicted to money. I'm addicted to clothes/I've been a pimp my whole life so I'm addicted to hoes" don't expect me to buy a Luda album anytime soon. Move Bitch, get out the way - your track is worse than Soulja Boi's - that's all I've gotta say.

Kidz In The Hall - "Flickin"

I was still getting over 'Driving down the block' from last year and now they put this out! This contains a dope as fuck beat beat right off the bat, so do your neck exercises before listening to this tune kids. This Double-O and Naledge banger became my favourite song after 2 listens. Naladge's flow is really chill and reminiscent of an old skool Fabolous, Da-Da-Da-Da-Dammn. Just remember that "Everytime you sleep at night - that's what I be livin like", BOOM!

The album, 'The Brainiac Attack' comes out in the USA on 13/10/2009 and is rumoured to have beats from 9th wonder, Black Milk, Pete Rock and of course from Double-O himself.

Rick Ross feat. Robin Thicke "Lay Back Pt. 2"

Maybach! Here's one for you R&B heads. Watch out for this tune in the clubs soon no doubt. With a big beat and a really catchy Usheresque/R. Kelly style chorus from Robin Thicke, it might just get caught in your head. But there is nothing special about these Rick Ross verses at all unfortunately. He's still rich, your girl still wants him and he makes things happen - you know, like a boss should. Worth a listen, but not worth illegally downloading (not that I ever condone this).

Slaughterhouse feat. Fatman Scoop - 'Onslaught 2'

The super crew of lyrical geniuses Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9, Joell Ortiz and Mr Joe Budden are about to release their album imminently, so get pumped if you like some audial hot sauce. This is one of the tracks on the album which will be officially released August 11. 2009. These dudes are arguably four of the most talented lyricists going round at the moment and it's tough to pick a favourite track from the album. This joint is def up there though and it is four and a half minutes of FIYAH. I think Joell comes hardest on this track with dimes like:

"I aint shabby with them nouns I aint shitty with the verb/
When I reach heaven I want the nigga Biggie to be like WORD/
City slicker New York Delivery when I swerve/
hold that mic like the statue of liberty I deserve/ "

I'm not a fan of Joe Budden but even he rips this track! So if you like your lyrics hot like Melbourne in January you better not sleep on this album.

And now you know! Peace and love...
Ingers aka Jesta.

♫ ♪ ♪ ♫ Need new tunes?? Check these out... ♫ ♪ ♪ ♫

2009-07-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Watup homeboys and homegirls!?

I've made some recent additions to the playlists on my Iphone to chill to while cruising the subways of Berlin. I've added the dopest ones to this blog and briefly commented on them too (since I know you appreciate this middle-class white boy's opinion and all). Let me know if you hate 'em or love 'em, either on FB or leave comments here. I'm always looking for new tracks to bump to (aren't we all) so if you have other suggestions or hot tips, please send em my way - with or without opinions and I'll post em up.

First tracks are Skip Hop, last few are newish US tracks and you can check out the songs from the links provided below:

Skip Hop

Raph Boogie - Boogie Bump

This track is freshhhhhhhhhh as and produced by one of our city's, finest Senor Danielsan. I've been bumping this track all week - the only problem is that it's kind of embarrasing to listen to in public because I keep nodding my head from side to side when listening to it. It's a really fun track with stupid-fly, clowning lyrics which compliment the bouncy, party beat perfectly. His album 'Le Bump' is out already, so go out, do the new dance and support the scene by buying his CD if you're so inclined!

Brad Strut - Believe

This is a really solid track from 'the kid with a bucktooth who used to go screaming out "fuck you" ', aka Brat Strut. I loved this song from the very first play and I was impressed at how tight his verses were. The flow is sick and the wordplay and rhymes are tighter than Scrooge at Christmas, although I wasn't the biggest fan of the chorus the first few plays. It's tough to get personal and emotional on any track called 'Believe' without soundling like R. 'I want to pee on you' Kelly. Yet Strut does this easily and is assisted immensely by the production tip from UK's Beat Butcha on the track and CD. In fact the production of the whole CD deserves a lot respect and it comes across tastier than Maccas after a massive night out. I have to say that I'm really stoked that Aus Hip Hop seems to be heading in this direction.

Check out this track from the now London based Melbournian, which you can find on his new album 'Fallout Shelter', which dropped in May. It comes with a bonus remix CD too with heaps of talented guest productions.

Thorts - Into the Wind

Signed to Obese records, Thorts has a smooth flow and hits the spot lyrically. Although his voice is quite soft and almost unsure of itself it is also chillaxed and matches the Blockhead type of beat, which he raps over. I would like to hear his flow on a different beat however, as I feel this one could hold the track on its own -basically it seems like there is too much noise overall to really appreciate the lyrics. If you like it, it will be worth checking out his album 'Bleeding Heart Muzik' which came out in April.

Bliss N Eso - Sea is Rising

Despite my love and support for the underground scene and this track being shoved down our throats on Music Channels, I love these boys and this track especially - my Ipod battery is always a lot worse off because of it. The lyrics in this song are exemplary and young cats should take note. Semantics, lyrics, flow and delivery are on point. The violins on the beat are hot and DJ Izm really works the ones and twos halfway through the track. This is from the album 'Flying Colours' so check the track and the album if you haven't heard em yet.

New tracks from the US of A.

Skyzoo - The beautiful decay.

Sky holds his own effortlessly on this 9th wonder proddy. Perfect for cruising to on a summer day with the top down. If only I had a sunroof. Or a car. Anyways, I'm really looking forward to his album “The Salvation" to drop in August, which features some amazing production from the likes of Just Blaze, Nottz, Illmind as well as 9th wonder. Siiiiiiiiik cuz!

Twista ft Kanye - Alright

"You put Kanye in here? What the fuck?", I can almost hear anyone reading this say. He spits some serious, non-auto-tune-bullshit fiiyah on the bonus track from Twista's new album ' Category F5'. Twista, anotherChi-town legend is, well...Twista...and holds his own like he always does with his lightning flows. 'Ye raps like he had something to prove and he definitely did! I wasn't feeling his 'future of rap/musik/kanye', with his 808s and heartbreak bullshit at all and I liked old skool Yeezy better. Anyway this track isn't too bad and hopefully not a one off joint with the style he chose. I really hope he does some more tracks like this for his next album.

Havoc - Always Have A Choice

Speak of the devil. Funnily enough this track is also very Kanye-esque!! The beat could've been on College Dropout and Havoc's flow on this even sounds like the best of Mr. West. This is a compliment however and is one of the best tracks I've heard from him in a while. As Havoc nostalgically points out: "I'm doing things I did 95 in a YouTube era". That's definitely a good thing in my opinion - bring it back to the old skool! If you're a Mobb Deep or Havoc fan in general, it's def worth checking out and can be found on his 'From Now On' mixtape and/or his album with the same name which will drop after Xmas this year.

Fabolous - Lullaby

This song has leaked from Fab's up and coming album 'Loso's Way', due for release 28th July. The track has a dope beat but the question remains, is Fab back to his best? I don't think so and I hope this isn't the best track on his album. His punch lines are on point as always, but I'm kind of sick of Faboloso's flow - it's too slow for this mo fo. Seriously I think he should've kept the old name and changed up the flow instead... tried something different! Or maybe he should stick to collabos so it doesn't get boring. And this is me saying this as a huge fan - Fab was def one of the dudes who made me love rap because of his wordplay. Having said that I do like the line "put a dick in ya ear and fuck what you heard". Classic.

Freeway Ft. Young Chris - All the Cities

Yeeeeeeeeea boiiiiiiie. What a mad jazzy track with good spits and flow from Freeway. Young Chris kills it on this track with a flow very reminiscent of Jay-Z back in the pre-Beyonce days. I can't work out why they didn't do tracks like this earlier- the love, talent and practice put into this banger shows and I think it's hot ishhhh. I'm not sure which album this leaked off yet, but I suspect a new Cash Money album - I will definitely update you when I figure it out!!

And now you know! Peace and love...
Ingers aka Jesta.

Graffiti Series pt 3 - Berlin aka Graffiti City

2009-06-29T00:39:00.000-07:00

Watup watup party people??!!

Following on from Mouse's awesome graf pics in Can Diego, I had to take some pics of the local grafs here in Berlin. Seriously this IS graffiti city and reminds me so much of New York. Everywhere you look there are tags, stencils and murals in a myriad of sizes.

Carpark Graf in city

The people here take great pride in shaping their identity since the fall of the Berlin wall and I would guess that also involves shaping their urban environment. I love that even my parents, who are in their mid 50s and used to hate 'vandalist' graffiti, can tell me their favourite tags (almost brand names here) and where to find them.

Skeleton stencil in city

I'm so impressed. This art form truly is everywhere and adds immensely to the character of this beautiful, historic and bustling city! I honestly want to come back to Berlin just to try and capture as much of the New York reminiscent art as I can.

Derelict building

These buildings become canvases for local graf artists.

Although the city is supposed to be defined by its bombed out churches, historic skyline and wall and check point remnants (which once split the German Capital), it is surprisingly in fact the graffiti bombing everywhere which actually defines the streetscape and gives Berlin its personality.

Weedy Lot with a few murals

Graf wall in the city, with the famous Alexanderturm in the distance. Built by the Russians after the war it was the tallest building in both Germanies and the pride of the DDR.

This is partly due to the endless supply of derelict buildings, fenced up weedy lots and the attitude of Berliners who seem to really embrace this form of expression - almost to the point where it symbolises their newly found freedom.

One of many buildings in the city centre which have become virtual canvases!

Nike endorsed graf? Or just an obsessed fan?

Joga Bonito - nutmeg!

The graffiti also becomes a very visual in-your-face reminder, an "up yours" so to speak, to the oppression of the former East Berlin, which lasted until the wall fell in 1989.

Building site used to promote a demonstration (left) and big mural in the city (right).

Mural closeup.

I am sure it also helps that the cops are slow to respond to graffiti reports and seemingly unmotivated to get rid of the graffiti (which in all honesty will just reappear as soon as it's taken down anyway).

One of the more famous tags - these bendy arm/hands are everywhere. This is right in the centre of the town near Friedrichstrasse - the final checkpoint to get to West Berlin when the wall was up.

I'm pretty sure I want to move here ASAP. Hope you enjoy the pics - next part of Berlin series coming soon! =)

Much love
Ingers

Metaphors and use of personification in rap

2009-06-28T03:35:00.000-07:00

I was bumping the Kanye track “homecoming” on the plane to Frankfurt and spent almost the entire trip wondering who the hell Wendy was and why she was so important to Señor West that made him devote a whole song to her.

“I met this girl when I was three years old
And what I loved most she had so much soul
She said, excuse me little homie, I know you don't know me- but,
My name is Wendy and, I like to blow trees and…”

You can find the rest of the lyrics to this song here.

So I listen again. And again. And then there it is…it was there the whole time. At the end of the song Kanye spits: “If you don't know by now, I'm talkin 'bout Chi-Town”. The whole song is a metaphor for Kanye’s hometown of Chicago, where he moved when he was three years old with his parents from Atlanta. Homecoming is a homage to the city that shaped him. The city where it all began. The city where he started studying art classes at The American Academy of Art but dropped out due to bad grades and too little motivation to instead follow his musical ambitions.

And so, Wendy is really Windy – the personification of ‘the windy city’, Chicago. It is no coincidence either that Common (also from Chicago and an inspiration to Kanye) is in this clip and also has a very similar song. ‘I used to lover H.E.R’ from his 1994 album ‘Resurrection’.

This classic tune is about a girl, who not surprisingly is also a metaphor for something else he cares deeply for– Hip Hop.

“I met this girl, when I was ten years old
And what I loved most she had so much soul
She was old school, when I was just a shorty
Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me”

You can find the rest of the lyrics to this song here.

Common, who had a massive underground following in the late 90s, has always been a hip hop purist and his song ‘I used to love H.E.R’ talks about the evolution of hip hop from something raw and real that he loved into a commercialized and exploited art form.

He describes in the song how hip hop started in New York and was all about cyphers in the park. It was “Original, pure untampered and down”. Hip hop eventually became more popular –it was played in clubs, at parties and eventually in videos, but importantly it still maintained it’s political voice and social morals. Common implies that the West Coast then utilised the genre to promote ‘gangsta rap’ and started making serious money off the sensationalism of their themes. He finishes the song by explaining the state of hip hop in 94 – being popularised and glorified through drugs, money and crime.

“I might've failed to mention that this chick was creative
But once the man got you well he altered her native
Told her if she got an image and a gimmick
that she could make money, and she did it like a dummy
Now I see her in commercials, she's universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle”

So check the clips out if you haven’t seen them before (particularly Kanye fans) as they are pretty interesting tunes and you might pick up on some things you didn’t realise before. And now you know.

Much love
Ingers

Graffiti in the ACT pt 2

2009-06-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

As you know pt 1 had a focus on graffiti in the suburb of Kaleen. This next installment takes a look a pieces of graffiti art around the ACT. The following are from unknown artists so if you happen to know who owns these pieces just drop a line or comment about the inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

Unknown Artist

Unknown artist

Unknown artist

Unknown artist

Kingston - Unknown artist

mOuse @ Liquid Lyrics

Graffiti in the ACT pt. 1

2009-06-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Part 1

On the weekend I was walking around my local suburb of Kaleen in Canberra when I stumbled across some super-fresh graffiti art. From that walk I decided to get some images and show some of the local talent in the nations capital.

Over the next couple of weeks I've taken on a secret mission to bring more graffiti art from local artists. I am also in the process of tracking some of these artists down for an interview about why they do what they do but it's taking a while...it's not like they leave contact details after each piece do they??

The following is a whole bunch of works from local graffiti artists both in Kaleen and the rest of Canberra. Hope you like!

Graf piece in Giralang by Unerkd

Kaleen drains by rekon

Drain piece by Baren

Canberra Storm Water by Dviant

Crazy piece by local Kaleen artist

Note: If you are an artist and you see your art up on the website - contact us!!! We would like to talk to you and get some more of your art!

mOus3 @ LL

Interview with Dazed and Flawlezz pt 1

2009-06-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Liquid Lyrics presents...

Dazed and Flawless

For a while now on the ACT hip hop scene, D&F have been making more LOUD noises than Brick Tanner. We approached them a while back to see if they would be keen to spit some rhymes for a video for LL. For us hip hop heads with just a cam and a dream, their enthusiasm and support for the idea was really surprising at first. Looking back however, we can now see that they brought this enthusiasm, dedication and love to each aspect of their music and what it represents.

This zeal for rap is really illustrated by their live shows - their stage presence and devotion to the crowd are second to none. The symbiotic relationship between the crew and the crowd is obvious at each and every show and is reflected in terms of the hollas and energy the crowd relentlessly give back – the D&F crowds are always loose, loud and rowdy!

We got to film an exclusive Dazed &Flawlezz cypher (what seems like an eternity ago now) but until the hot fiyah from the vid is edited and up we hope you’ll enjoy this interview with the boys. Don’t forget to share the love and go and see a show next time they’re in your area. And now you know.

Much love!!
LL crew

________________________________________

My favourite track on the last album is ‘Fallen Angel’. You mention that you don’t make raps to make money, you make rap without money. I believe that your love for hip hop is really reflected throughout your album. With this in mind, what do consider the main barriers to being an artist are? Having to hold a job down at the same time or other sacrifices you have to make?

Dazed
Like anything it has its ups and downs. Sometimes you love it so much and it's all you want to do, and sometimes you're sick of it and you wonder whether it's worth all the effort and time. Barriers? I used to have problems with rhymes sometimes as I was cautious of how much to show or "expose" myself in a track, as my rhymes are very "heart on the sleeve". Do people really want to hear about how shit you feel when so-and-so happens to you?

Now I'm just like whatever. I'm being me and you can either dig it or not. I used to work full-time and I had hardly any time for music once I juggled everything else in my life. I was going crazy as I had no creative outlet. I work part time now so I have time for myself to get busy, but with that comes less money but that's a sacrifice I've chosen. I'd rather be happy getting by making music instead of having heaps of cash and not happy at all.

Flawlezz
Holding down a job as well as trying to create a name for ourselves musically has always and always will be one of the toughest obstacles an Emcee in particular must face. There's hardly any money in underground hip-hop anywhere in the world but it turns out, that’s the way we like it. No money = no bias and no bias = pure fundamental thoughts over authentic original beats.

In short, we're just like thousands of artists out there who pour their heart, soul and profits into every track and live show. None of us have been blessed with a silver spoon like some who shall remain un-named for the time being....haha. We worked hard for our small fan base and they are as loyal as they come. I'd like to stress just how important they are to us in everything we do!

Fallen angel sheds insight on how we came to be personally. A few struggles we faced as children and some we still face today. It's one of our personal favourites and a track that solely reflects our attitude towards "good" music. It’s true, "we don’t make money from raps, we make raps with our money.

I guess the biggest issue we've faced besides funds, is the issue of blending in the scene. A lot of artists have got to where they are by playing it safe and conforming with the general idea and "flow" of Aussie hip-hop. We're far from that in many ways. Our beats are different, our flows are different, and our attitude on a whole is quite different to your average oz hip hopper. I know it sounds cliché to claim we're different, but anyone who has witnessed our shows will be inclined to agree I'm sure.

Also on barriers, I'm not sure about Dazed's opinion on the matter, but I'm very aware of the fact that a lot of people take "Flawlezz" the wrong way and out of context which lead to hostility within a few scenarios. My name is more of a goal for me to achieve personally, and at the same time is something that suggests impossible standards and constant improvement. I’m not now, nor do I feel I will ever be "Flawless", hence the double "z". So for those insecure, know I'm not labelling myself better than you! Lol.

Ok lets get philosophical. What do you think the Oz hip hop scene will be like in 10 years time? How does this compare with how you'd like it to be?

Flawlezz
Ah, Philosophical. My favourite state of mind (laughs). I see Oz hip-hop becoming stronger every year. I love it. I feel that even though some purists will disagree, groups such as the Hoods and Drapht have paved the way for acceptance within the general populous. Groups such as LC and Brad Strut have set the scene in the underground.I've found through my personal experience that different walks of life enjoy different forms of hip-hop which is important to maintain a strong form of both an underground and mainstream scene.

It goes without saying that I would love to see a lot more diversity and acceptance within the market. I know first hand how difficult it can be releasing your first LP. In my own imaginary future, labels would show diversity and empathy towards crews that have the talent but not the resources to follow through. And by the same token, sign passionate and talented artists as opposed to mates, Ha!

Dazed
Shit, I remember seeing the 'Hoods in '03 to a crowd of 50 or so dudes and now they're playing sold-out shows at Festival Hall with heaps of screaming fans. That was only 6 years ago and I never would've thought of that, so thinking 10 more years ahead would be crazy. It's growing at a rapid rate.

I guess as long as there's artists keeping true to themselves and making quality music (ie not selling out), and there's fans to buy the product and go to shows then it'll be good. If anything I hope that these new wave of fans actually understand that hip-hop is a culture that a lot of people take seriously, and do research to acknowledge that the scene is nothing new; it's been around for 20 odd years in the country and know of groups like AKA Brothers, Def Wish Cast's etc and what they did. If they can respect the past then the future will be dope.

Support for Dazed and Flawless

Liquid Lyrics

Interview with Dazed and Flawlezz pt 2

2009-06-11T04:35:00.000-07:00

Rumour has it that you boys have been hitting the studio a lot recently. When’s the next album coming out and what should we be looking forward to?

Dazed
Yeah man we've been busy recording and mixing our first full length LP "Dark Days Bright Lights". In terms of the album we've been lucky enough to be blessed by some of Australia's best producers giving us beats to rock so it's really dope to have these people on board. So on the production tip (other than ourselves) we got Ciecmate, Simplex, Premiere Williams from the UK, Mizari, and Geko. I'm really excited about the Geko track; the dude is a beast on the boards and laced us with some heat. Other then that it's pretty much straight-up D&F shit, plus guest verses from our Sydney family Undertow, Logikal, and Grand Arkiteks.

Flawlezz
This album to be released before the end of the year is almost 5 years in the making now. We've been doing everything necessary to ensure a 2009 release and 3 members spanned across three states of this great country is definitely a hurdle. But it’s one that we're proud to overcome for the finished product.One of many things to look out for on this album is the collabos [with] guest producers.It felt great to be able to concentrate on the lyrics and leave most of the production in the capable hands of these guys to name a few.

One of many things to look out for on this album is the collabos [with] guest producers. It felt great to be able to concentrate on the lyrics and leave most of the production in the capable hands of these guys to name a few.

Dazed, in terms of beats you’ve been making some bangers recently. Can you get creative on demand? If not what are your routines to find inspiration?

Dazed
Thanks man. It really depends on time in terms of being able to get creative. If I sit down in the studio to make some beats I'll definitely come up with something by the end of it. For me it all starts with the sample, and the choice of sample would depend on my mood at that time. Once that's been found don't bother me for a few hours! In terms of inspiration it can depend on many things. Like before, hearing a dope sample can inspire me to make a track out it. Sometimes I'll hear a beat a mate made, or something pops up in my ipod and I go from there. Shit, walking to the shops can inspire me.

Flawlezz, let’s talk collabos. If you could get anyone worldwide to work with on a track with you boys, who would it be and why?

Flawlezz
Our solo aspirations are a very different, but as far as DnF is concerned....Anyone in the world? Geez.....I would have to say someone like Jehst or Brother Ali. Those guys have been producing quality music for a long time now out of the mainstream view with massive underground respect and influence. Oh and I know I speak for both of us when I say the whole Def Jux team. Yak Balls, Metro or Lif would be another dream come true.

We had the pleasure and torment of partying with these guys when we supported them a few years ago at the Gaelic and put it bluntly, it was one of the craziest nights in both our lives. On a more realistic note it would be great to collaborate with some top oz acts such as Katalyst, Lyrical Commission or pretty much anyone on Elephant trax. It's turned out to be a sad reality these days however, that most outfits will only associate with others on their label - since we're part of no label that sort of limits our prospects.

That being said though, we're having a ball collaborating with other talented unsigned artists such as Undertow and Grand Arkiteks.

Dazed and Flawlezz at your service...

Liquid Lyrics

Delta @ the ANU

2009-06-11T02:56:00.000-07:00

It was a night true heads had been waiting for when Delta hit up the stage at ANU to support his latest album, the Second story. With some tight sets from ever improving local crews like the Rhyme Ministers to warm up the small crowd who braved the cold, the loyal faithful were well primed for a night of straight up beats, rhymes and world class turntablism.

First up was Delta’s cohort Mojo from NYC, who did a couple tracks to let the crowd know the bizness end of the evening was in full swing.

Next up was 3 time DMC champion Staen1 who showed the entire gamut of skills on the wheels of steel. Known for his trick mixing he didn’t disappoint (video coming!) taking it back to the days of old with some body moves. For many a dj in the crowd Staen1 stole the show, which says a lot considering the firey set Delta proceeded to throw down. Joined by Staen1 on the decks and Mojo as hype man, Delta hit the stage with the kind of aggression and energy reminiscent of his days on the battling circuit. The kind of intensity that made Brooklyn-based Freestyler MC Pumpkinhead convince the 21 year old Delta to drop his BA of Philosophy in 1999 and head to the Bronx to showcase his skills. Delta reminisces “When I got there, within a week, I met him at the Rocksteady anniversary party, and he was like, ‘Man, we got a cypher poppin’ in the corner. Come and bust a rap”

Most of the crowd were already familiar with the new album, and were as equally hyped for these tracks as they were for classics like ‘Mayday’ off ‘The Lostralian’. Tracks on the new album seem to carry stronger themes than on the ‘Lostralian’ which was more of a natural progression from his battle rhyming days. Delta touches on topics including death, cheating women and the Prime Minister – in which he ended the song by saying “Fuck Kevin Rudd”, while Mojo piped in with “Fuck George Bush” –both met with equally as loud cheers from the easily persuaded crowd of politically apathetics, and left me feeling certain they would have cheered equally as loud if Delta had yelled “Fuck Obama” or even “Fuck you chicken chilly tenders”…

The new album, like the first is still reminiscent of the glory days of hip hop both in production and rhymes. As Delta said of the advice he was given while in the Bronx “They told me, ‘Screw that, dude, if the majority of heads in Australia are listening to ’90s style hip hop, make ’90s style hip hop. We can’t do that in America right now, so you should try to do it in Australia’. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

Delta who subscribes to the theory that process of producing a quality product is a far more worthy driver than the aim to reach a specific audience had this to say about the ever increasing amount of AUS hip hop going mainstream “I’ve got no problem with hip hop becoming mainstream, as long as we dictate the way the industry is going. The moment we start sacrificing what we believe in in order to appeal to people that are outside of our culture and quite ignorant to it, then we will be in trouble. I would rather be hated for what I am than be loved for what I am not. Everything I do, I do with my heart behind it. If my heart isn’t in it, I know I’m wasting my time.”

The crowd interaction between the artists and the crowd was at a high level all night. It was no surprise that Delta gave the same show he would have given to a stadium full of 20,000 people, and that the crowd reacted favourably to this. His final words, a quote from his co-producer (the UK’s legendary Mark B), were fitting “It’s not how many people in the party, but how much party is in the people”.

Bal

Omar Musa - Official "Hemingway" video and "Shrappers Mixtape" launch

2009-06-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

Liquid Lyrics were stoked to attend Omar’s debut music video premier for his song ‘Hemingway at hippo bar on Wednesday. This intricately detailed clip been on replay for a few days now and seemingly gets better every time we watch it.
The clip offers visually sumptuous angles of a bustling and paradoxical London that is seemingly apathetic to its darker social issues. As OBM spits on the track: “Pray for the city of glamour and grit/ where the abject poor living next to the rich/on the Brixton bus envisioning/ beauty and death in the town I’m living in”.

Omar points out that he spent hours filming on trains, buses, in shady alleys, getting kicked out by security guards, and we think the love and effort he put into this vid really shows. We are loving the video here at LL and hope that this is the first of many OBM music vids (hint: do a video for 'bring it back' or 'shake em up')

We had a few exclusive vids filmed with Omar earlier this year where he spits that raw, cypher, intelligent rap shit with Roshambo for our LL cams, so watch out for that - it'll be up here soon.

Much love!
Ingers aka Jesta

Dazed & Flawlezz - a new breed in hip-hop

2009-05-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Liquid Lyrics witnessed a brilliant show from Dazed & Flawlezz (DnF), and with the mic open for the evening, both terrorised any other emcee of the floor.

If you weren't already aware of just who these guys are, let me introduce to you, Dazed & Flawlezz!

When asked about DnF, what they stood for and how they came about, a spokesperson for DnF had this to say:

Originally formed in Sydney in 2004, Dazed & Flawlezz have burst onto the scene and have been recognised as a major up-and-coming act to look out for. Consisting of emcees Dazed and Flawlezz, the pair have been tearing up stages throughout the underground circuit in Australia for a number of years with an energetic presence, and a sonic wall of sound.

This immediately caught the attention of various promoters, booking the act to support Cage and Mr. Lif as part of the Definitive Jux 2006 Australian tour, New Zealand dnb group Shapeshifter, as well as countless local acts including Hospice Crew, Terra Firma, Reason, Phrase, 360 & Pez, Scott Burns, Overproof, Polo Club, Maggot Mouf, Budspells, and Dialectrix.

In 2008 the pair hit the studio to create "D&F.EP", their first release and prelude to their upcoming full length album, due later this year.

Over 7 tracks, Dazed & Flawlezz broke-down the tales of the common man, his dream to survive, and aim for bigger and better things. Moving over 800 units, the EP spread their word and name throughout the country and solidified the act as a name to look out for.

This year will see the release of their first full length album, which features production from not only themselves but seasoned producers Ciecmate, Simplex, and Geko.

Liquid Lyrics will be uploading some super-fresh footage of DnF doing what they do best so keep your eyes and ears open.

Omar Musa - Debut video "Hemingway" is out

2009-05-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

Liquid Lyrics just got word that Omar Musa has just released his debut video!

Exciting stuff to see local artists getting their game on.

__________________________________________________

CLICK HERE TO WATCH IT NOW!

Liquid Lyrics will be attending the launch at Hippo Bar in Canberra City and will be back here with our thoughts so keep a look out.

Much Love,

Liquid Lyrics Supporting Big Bangs

2009-05-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

Liquid Lyrics is a proud supporter of Big Bangs!

The ACT Special Olympics Basketball Team needs our help.

They’ve been running for a year now, with no federal or state funding, and only 1 sponsor who gave up $500 so the team could host a tournament here in Canberra.

They are coached by a former Rollers (Aust men’s wheelchair team) gold-medal winning player, who has been volunteering his time and his old uniforms just so these guys can play.

They’re not at an “elite” level, but they are competitive; in the last 2 tournaments they’ve played in, they’ve won both! That’s in spite of not having any new equipment, any media coverage or any major, or even minor for that matter, support from local sporting bodies. The team is made up of 18 to 30 yr olds, who have a range of physical and/or mental disabilities.

So here’s the plan. This Sunday, they’re hosting a team from the Coast at Woden Basketball Stadium. As BIG BANGS first charitable activity in Oz, I want to raise some cash for them. The baseline is $250 – I think that’s a reasonable target, seeing as how they only have $500 so far… My goal, however, is to raise $1500 so the entire team can have new uniforms.

If you want to help me out, let me know so I can send you all a small email you can forward or print out; spread the word and help collect for this cause. Of course I hope y’all can all be there on Sunday to cheer the guys on and present the team with whatever we raise.

Ask around your work, grab a buck or two (or however much people want to give) from your coworkers, people around you, whoever you can, and let’s see how much cash we can raise.

For those who don’t know, the BIG BANG BALLERS are a non-profit organization using the game of basketball to overcome social barriers and develop the confidence, skills and capabilities of youth. We’re currently operating in 3 countries, with 3 more on the way by July, and another 7 by the end of the year. Non-profit status is currently being granted by the Australian Government.

Any questions, hit up pierre@johannessenlegal.com.

If you want to see some videos of BIG BANGS events and activities, have a look at www.youtube/pair5

WE'RE COLLECTING MONEY UNTIL SAT 30TH!

Thank you in advance, and I hope you can help!

Liquid Lyrics - Talib Kweli Inspiration

2009-05-27T23:41:00.001-07:00

To compliment Mos Def we had to get a clip of his fellow Blackstar member at his best. Brooklyn-born Talib is one of the most respected backpack rappers because of his smarts which are both reflected through his opinions and his lyrics themselves. This clip is an excerpt from the Def Poetry TV show (which presents artists, actors and poets alike reciting original verse) and is a critique by Talib on religion. A very philosophical poem, I’ve often listened to this and wondered what the world would be like if everyone had similar values. As Jay-Z said on his track Moment of Clarity, "If skills sold, truth be told/I'd probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli”. I wish. Enjoy.

Liquid Lyrics - Mos Def inspiration

2009-05-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

This is the video that inspired the Liquid Lyrics idea. New York MC, actor and political activist, Mos Def (one of my favourite artists) is renowned for his social commentary on the injustices and hypocrisies of life in the land of the free, USA. Mos is filmed here freestyling to a beatbox in front of an energetic crowd, who hold onto every word that he says. The complexity of his rhyme words, the humour and the similes that the Mighty Mos drops make this a clip a classic Youtube watch.

Omar Musa - Sydney Launch

2009-05-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

What a crazy weekend!

Omar Musa performed at the Sydney launch for his new cd the 'Massive EP' and worked the crowd into a frenzy. Supported by DJ Rush on the decks, the Queanbeyan spader hit the crowd with some of the newest and freshest tracks that aussie hip-hop has to offer.

Omar Musa is sharp and poetic. Australian hip-hop has a confident new voice. The Winner of the 2008 Australian Poetry Slam competition unleashed the Massive EP to Sydney in front of a roaring crowd.

From his poignant thoughts on big city life in "Hemingway" to the languid summer jam "Opal", the Massive EP marries hip-hop, rock and funk. After winning the Triple J sponsored Realise Your Dream competition, Omar relocated to London to work in the music industry and collaborated with British rappers such as grime star Akala. It was here that Musa began to pen the beginnings of his debut EP.

"It is a strange animal of an album," says Musa. "Written in London, recorded in the States, rapped by a Malaysian-Australian, I feel like it definitely has an original vibe."

The EP was produced entirely by rock veteran Geoff Stanfield, formerly of well known US alternative bands Sun Kil Moon and Black Lab. Working with Stanfield, Musa says "I finally felt as if I had found the perfect sounds to compliment my lyrics."

With a big voice, big beats and poetic vignettes based on life of a Queanbeyan native abroad, this truly is the Massive EP.

On sale here

Spader Clothing - the fresh generation

2009-05-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

Liquid Lyrics is definitely jumping on the spader wagon!!

Check out the spader channel on Youtube! They showcase the newest spader gear.

They have a full catalogue out right now and the website is set to go live!

http://www.spaderclothing.com/

http://www.spaderclothing.blogspot.com/

Hoodies are coming!!! Check back for the lastest

Liquid Lyrics website coming soon!

2009-05-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

coming soon

Omar Musa - The Massive Mixtape

2009-04-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

OK, so it’s pretty simple party people:

If you like fresh, free music, then I got rad something for you! DJ Rush and I just finished The Massive Mixtape- 7 tracks, all original, all amazing and 100% FREE.

Insane collaborations with musicians from California to London to Australia. Shoutouts from Proof from D-12 (R.I.P.), DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, and downunder’s most famous standover man, Chopper Read. Intrigued? Hungry for fresh new music for the Ipod or car? Thought so.

Download it here:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dzjygnmfkmm

Track list goes like this:
1) Champion (prod. by Grand Menniss)
2) Hemingway (prod. by Geoff Stanfield)
3) Kerosene feat. Akala
4) Let It Go (prod. by Divy Pota)
5) The Time is Now feat. Young Murph (prod. by Absolute)
6) Bring It Back feat. Tyler from 2am Club
7) Softly

It’s only 33mb, so no excuses! Download it, get your mates to download it, tell your mum it’s the bomb haha. If you wanna support further, put the download link in your Facebook status, even if for just a day. Much love to Emma for the fresh art. Do yourself and myself a favour- go and download The Massive Mixtape!

Peace and love

Omar Musa