Artist:Real J Dubbs
Track: U Can’t Sample
Production:
Rating 3.5/5
Straight Outta Oakland, J Dubbs comes with a nice flow talking about a the joys of the Soul Flower, I’m feeling the vocals more than the music, thats not say the music is bad, it’s good but I think I prefer the vocals, cause I like the sound of his voice.
Musically it’s got that West Coast Flavour so fans of E40, Digital Underground & Luniz will be feeling this.
Artist:Eastern Sunz
Track: Many Shades Of Green
Production:
Rating: 3.5/5
Eastern Sunz come with a competent rhyme about the environment, I’m feeling the production which is backed up by an old school sounding loop, the track has samples of Al Gore talking about saving the planet.
This makes a pleasent change to all the gangsta, battling and run of the mill hip hop themes.
check their myspace outEastern Sunz
Artist: Canibus
Track: Lycan Vs Nosferatu
Production:
Rating: 4.5/5
Canibus has historically been one of the best Technical MCs to grace the microphone. I must admit I’ve fell out of touch with what he’s been doing over the last couple of years, but managed to get hold of Lycan, which shows he still can rip the shit out of the track, which is tight as 5 virgins in a Volkswagen. Chopped up Apache sample and I don’t know how how the producer pulled it of but it actually works using an interpoleration of Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight” and Disco classic Native New Yorker, a less talented producer would have made it sound corny but it works.
After Reviewing KS Flows track Real Hustle I got back in contact with the producer of the Group Soul Theory to interview him, here’s what he had to say.
Raze Brooks: Ok I’m a start off by letting you introduce yourself let the people out there know who you are and what it is you do?
Soul Theory: Aight definitely. I go by the name of Soul Theory and I’m a producer and artist outta South Florida. One half of the group K.S. Flow with my man and artist Knowledge Medina. And one third of Flow Affiliated with Knowledge and our other producer Timeless.
R B: How long you’ll been together?
S T: Knowledge and myself, we came up together and officially formed K.S. Flow about 2 years ago. Shortly after, we teamed up with Timeless to form the official Flow Affiliated family.
R B: Your music is real soulful, who did you listen to coming up?
S T: I came into the game listening to heads like Gangstarr, Pete Rock, and a lot of older heads that were more about the music then the gimmicks. I think Alchemist & Just Blaze definitely do their thing too. But the focus on the music has always been the main part of my work.
R B: Classic East Coast True School Hip Hop, what equipment do you use to produce?
S T: My setup is real simple, I don’t need a lot of fancy blinkin lights to get down. I use FL Studio, Acid, the record collection, to make the beats, as well as various midi controllers, the Technics, and some dope monitors. But honestly what equipment I use almost means nothin, its what you got in your head that holds the power. Throw me any equipment and a week to figure it out and I’m good.
R B: Never truer words spoken, you checked out the new FL Studio 8 yet? Alot of producers got mad when 9th came out with LB cause he used FL Studio, cause they had it and didn’t know you could do the shit that 9th was doing with it, have you had anybody hating on you cause you don’t use an MPC or an SP?
S T: Haven’t checked out version 8 yet. I’m always mad versions behind cause I’m cool with what I’m usin. I think I was still usin 3.56 when 6 came out. Cats get too caught up with what newest gadgets they have but I could care less really. I had an MPC4000 at one point but I took that shit back to the store cause it wasn’t doin nothin I couldn’t do with FL Studio 3.56 so it wasn’t worth the money to me. But suprisingly, I’ve never been hated on for using FL. But I don’t think most people know I use it. They hear my beats and assume that I got a $20,000 setup. They’re always suprised as hell when they find out I’m using the same program that they have. I think it opens peoples eyes a little.
R B: True, I had an MPC & A Triton but sold um, cause my soft set up was better, you should check the new versions out, cause it will spead up your work flow, can you talk a little about the scene down in Miami?
S T: Miami’s real diverse, but as far as the lane of hip hop that I’m in, it’s definitely the minority down there. But with the internet today, the scene in your particular area means a lot less to your possibilities than 10 or 15 years ago. I live in Florida, but my worldwide recognition is much larger than my regional exposure and the internet makes that possible.
R B: You Heard of Serum he’s a sic MC from Miami, and is “real hip hop”?
S T: actually, haven’t heard of him
R B: Whats the live scene like out there, do you guys perform?
S T: Yeh we get performances in definitely. Knowledge Medina is still holdin that area down and I’m actually in Tampa Bay with my man Timeless holdin down the studio grind. But we gonna eventually all get up in the same city again and really introduce the world to the team, with more shows and all that.
R B: What has been the response from the crowd?
S T: The love has been amazin really. A lot of people are like “wow, you makin that kinda music and you from FLORIDA???”. They thought the whole state was tryin to lean and rock, hahah. But we on some other shit.
R B: Cool, have you had any props off your musical heros?
S T: I mean the only dudes I look up to musically are certain legends in the game, and I haven’t had the fortune to meet any of them. But the overwhelmin love from the fans is more than enough for me.
R B: thats cool, where do you see yourself in 5 years as regards the music?
S T: In 5 years, I plan to have put out some classic records and to be travelin the world with my team. That’s the agenda.
R B: Where can people buy your music?
S T: “On the Come Up” is the title of the album that my group K.S. Flow recently released and you can purchase it at cdbaby.com/cd/ksflow or from my MySpace page at MySpace.com/SoulTheoryProductions. The albums crazy. Real soulful, real life music.
S T: It’s also available on iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, and other digital outlets.
R B: Do you have anybody you would Like to send a shout out to?
S T: Definitely want to give a shout to Raze Brooks for takin the time to set this up. A shout to Knowledge Medina, Timeless, Reks, and DeeDot, and definitely to everyone that’s been showin that love.
R B: cool thanks yourself for taking the time out to do this interview.
S T: Thanks a lot fam. Appreciate the time.
Make sure you check out Soul Theory On Myspace
Artist: Nova Kane featuring Pro The Leader
Track: Know The Names
Production: Semantix Tha Sorcera
Rating: 4/5
This some hardcore, rappers rapper type shit, Pro The Leader comes off hard with sic wordplay, set to a hard head nodding beat provided by none other than my main muthafucka Semantix Tha Sorcera can’t fault the production on this one, love the chops, sounds like an Al Green type sample hes used not sure what the track is but its the shit anyway.
Nova Kane does his thing on the second verse and comes off competent which is a hard job for anybody when placed next to pro, but he stands up well.
If your a fan of underground Wu type independant hip hop then this is for you.
Artist: Quel Est La Date
Track: Poor Mans Hip Hop
Rating 4.8/5
Now this is the shit that I’m talking about, As soon as heard the intro I knew this is the one. I love the vocal sample “Now Your Running In Circles with the Upperclass”, the production is top notch and it’s one of those tracks that makes a nigga like me say, “damn I wish I’d done that”.
Theres too many elements in this track that have me suckered in, the strings, the filtered bassline, the chops on the vocals, plus the ryhming although not Nas or Rakim stands head and shoulders over most of the current crop of todays “Hip Hop” artists.
Basically talking about sellout rappers wish to becoming rich and famous and forgetting what this thing we call hip hop is all about.
To Some it up Refreshing.
I’ve been A Big fan of MC Ren since I first heard Straight Outta Compton & Eazy Does it back in the late 80s whilst I was still in school.
I was lucky to grow up in a time when so much good hip hop was coming out and there was so many different styles and view points being head. I was and still am a big fan of what the whole NWA camp did as a group anas what they did as solo artists.
Chuck D of Public Enemy once said that Ren was Scotty Pippen to Cubes Jordan.
Artist: Sensagius Remidii
Track: Friday Nights
Production
Rating 4/5
Sensagius Remidii is a Ghanian Student based in the Bronx. For all those peeps who are fans of the late Dilla or Pete Rock instrumental albums then this is an artist for you.
This is some smooth instrumental hip hop, with laid back drums, nice female vocal sample embellished with chopped up jazz guitars and horn stabs. Sensagius is defiantly somebody you need to watch out for.
Inverse Review
Artist: Inverse
Track: So Far
Production: Yoel
Vocals: Tunji & Toby
Rating: 4/5
Once again Los Angeles Based Inverse MCs Tunji & Toby deliver the goods with tight rhymes about their hip hop journey; I really like the combination of voices I think they work really well together.
The Production is handled by Yoel and he has gone to town on the track, it seems to me this guy writes songs, not just tracks, the arrangement of the strings is faultless, the additional choirs, electric pianos and the female vocals at the end of the track really add to the mood.
If you’re a fan of thought provoking music then you have got to check this track out.
Check them out on their myspace:
Artist: RBX
Track: The Get Down
Production: Lobsta
Vocals RBX
Rating: 4.5/5
Now this is the shit, this is Hip Hop how it should be, funky as fuck drum loop, RBX rips up the track with his sinister rhymes as good as anything he did on the Chronic, plus the scratching is a welcome addition to the track.
I’m looking forward to hearing more new stuff by RBX and material from his new group Concrete Criminals which is a trio made up of himself, Big Rocc and MC Ren from NWA.
If your looking for some classic straight up B Boy hip hop, look no further.
http://www.myspace.com/thenarratorrbx
