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Monday, November 22, 2004
ZION I COMPETE IN “MTV2’S DEW CIRCUIT BREAKOUT”
November 22, 2004—Oakland, CA--Hip-hop duo Zion I were selected to compete in the 2004 “DEW MUSIC CIRCUIT” face off in a weeklong MTV2 tournament and they need your vote!!! Starting Monday, November 22, at 9pm ET/6pm PT, MTV2 VJ Jim Shearer kicks off the competition and introduces the audience to The Kite-Eating Tree, Fifth Year Crush, Zion-I, and Limitpoint. Featuring in-depth profiles, interviews and performances, viewers will then have 24-hours to visit http://www.mtv2.com/, where they can vote for their favorite.
MTV2 will host the semi-finalists from the “Dew Music Circuit,” as they compete head-to-head in a week-long battle of the bands tournament on MTV2. Determined entirely by music fans voting on MTV2.com, MTV2 will narrow the field to three band finalists who will perform live on-air at MTV2’s Time Square Studios on Saturday, December 4th.
The winner of the competition will get $50,000, their own “Bands A to Z” page on MTV.com, and will appear on “MTV2 Rock” for the week of December 6th at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
This is Zion I’s second time selected by MTV2 for the competition: Each of the twelve semi-finalist bands competing survived Mountain Dew and FreedomZone’s “Dew Music Circuit,” where they were judged and selected from a pool of over 100 other bands by college radio station directors nationwide. Now, facing the chance to join famous “Dew Music Circuit” alumni Yellowcard and Taking Back Sunday, each band will up the stakes and compete on “MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout.”
For complete details on “MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout” including band information, show dates, and much more, www.MTV2.com.
November 22, 2004—Oakland, CA--Hip-hop duo Zion I were selected to compete in the 2004 “DEW MUSIC CIRCUIT” face off in a weeklong MTV2 tournament and they need your vote!!! Starting Monday, November 22, at 9pm ET/6pm PT, MTV2 VJ Jim Shearer kicks off the competition and introduces the audience to The Kite-Eating Tree, Fifth Year Crush, Zion-I, and Limitpoint. Featuring in-depth profiles, interviews and performances, viewers will then have 24-hours to visit http://www.mtv2.com/, where they can vote for their favorite.
MTV2 will host the semi-finalists from the “Dew Music Circuit,” as they compete head-to-head in a week-long battle of the bands tournament on MTV2. Determined entirely by music fans voting on MTV2.com, MTV2 will narrow the field to three band finalists who will perform live on-air at MTV2’s Time Square Studios on Saturday, December 4th.
The winner of the competition will get $50,000, their own “Bands A to Z” page on MTV.com, and will appear on “MTV2 Rock” for the week of December 6th at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
This is Zion I’s second time selected by MTV2 for the competition: Each of the twelve semi-finalist bands competing survived Mountain Dew and FreedomZone’s “Dew Music Circuit,” where they were judged and selected from a pool of over 100 other bands by college radio station directors nationwide. Now, facing the chance to join famous “Dew Music Circuit” alumni Yellowcard and Taking Back Sunday, each band will up the stakes and compete on “MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout.”
For complete details on “MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout” including band information, show dates, and much more, www.MTV2.com.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
ProHipHop Launches Hip Hop Business News Blog
ProHipHop (www.prohiphop.com) launches as the first hip hop business news blog tracking developments across industry sectors. Hip hop business involves a wide range of products and markets that go far beyond urban music and fashions. Clyde Smith gathers hip hop related business news from such industries and subsectors as music, movies, apparel, mobile content, automotive, publishing, jewelry and beverages and publishes them in ProHipHop, a hip hop trade blog.
Clyde Smith conceived the idea of ProHipHop while gathering news for his personal hip hop blog called Hip Hop Logic (www.netweed.com/hiphoplogic). Long fascinated by the spread of hip hop culture and rap music from the Bronx to the rest of the world, Smith began noticing that business news effectively tracked the development of hip hop as a global force. Surprisingly, an extensive search revealed that no one was providing this information in a daily weekday format online. The recognition of a gap in hip hop related information services was the deciding factor in the creation of ProHipHop.
Before ProHipHop, hip hop business news was scattered across sources from consumer to industry-oriented websites and publications. Today ProHipHop offers daily business news that is available in weblog form or via an xml newsfeed for Atom and RSS newsreaders and mobile devices. ProHipHop is also planning an email newsletter edition.
Clyde Smith writes ProHipHop drawing on a rich background in the performing arts (The Lost Colony,High Risk Group), academic research (Ph.D. in CulturalStudies from Ohio State) and freelance writing (HipHop Logic, New Age Retailer). Clyde is also the owner and editor of netweed.
ProHipHop is the first offsite project incubated by netweed (www.netweed.com), the alternative news and culture center. netweed provides basic funding and services for ProHipHop as well as related information resources such as Hip Hop Albums(www.netweed.com/hiphop/albums), Hip Hop Movies(www.netweed.com/hiphop/movies) and Hip Hop News(www.netweed.com/hiphopnews).
ProHipHop is located at:http://www.prohiphop.com
Clyde Smith can be contacted at:prohiphop(at)netweed(dot)com
415-356-9826
Mail: 2370 Market St. #391
San Francisco, CA 94114
ProHipHop (www.prohiphop.com) launches as the first hip hop business news blog tracking developments across industry sectors. Hip hop business involves a wide range of products and markets that go far beyond urban music and fashions. Clyde Smith gathers hip hop related business news from such industries and subsectors as music, movies, apparel, mobile content, automotive, publishing, jewelry and beverages and publishes them in ProHipHop, a hip hop trade blog.
Clyde Smith conceived the idea of ProHipHop while gathering news for his personal hip hop blog called Hip Hop Logic (www.netweed.com/hiphoplogic). Long fascinated by the spread of hip hop culture and rap music from the Bronx to the rest of the world, Smith began noticing that business news effectively tracked the development of hip hop as a global force. Surprisingly, an extensive search revealed that no one was providing this information in a daily weekday format online. The recognition of a gap in hip hop related information services was the deciding factor in the creation of ProHipHop.
Before ProHipHop, hip hop business news was scattered across sources from consumer to industry-oriented websites and publications. Today ProHipHop offers daily business news that is available in weblog form or via an xml newsfeed for Atom and RSS newsreaders and mobile devices. ProHipHop is also planning an email newsletter edition.
Clyde Smith writes ProHipHop drawing on a rich background in the performing arts (The Lost Colony,High Risk Group), academic research (Ph.D. in CulturalStudies from Ohio State) and freelance writing (HipHop Logic, New Age Retailer). Clyde is also the owner and editor of netweed.
ProHipHop is the first offsite project incubated by netweed (www.netweed.com), the alternative news and culture center. netweed provides basic funding and services for ProHipHop as well as related information resources such as Hip Hop Albums(www.netweed.com/hiphop/albums), Hip Hop Movies(www.netweed.com/hiphop/movies) and Hip Hop News(www.netweed.com/hiphopnews).
ProHipHop is located at:http://www.prohiphop.com
Clyde Smith can be contacted at:prohiphop(at)netweed(dot)com
415-356-9826
Mail: 2370 Market St. #391
San Francisco, CA 94114
R.A. The Rugged Man Drops Die, Rugged Man, Die
Banned from performing live in most of the United States from 1995 to 1998, banned from recording studios and damn near every rap label that ever existed, R.A. the Rugged Man is finally back for revenge. While most rappers live in a world of fantasy, R.A. is one of the few MC's that you can guarantee his rhymes are real life - as sick as it might sound. When asked about R.A., Biggie Smalls was once quoted as saying "I thought I was the illest."
Coming from a broken Long Island home, R.A.'s father was a gun toting Vietnam veteran/mental patient affected by Agent Orange. His family was forever changed by the potent chemical - his brother Maxx was born handicapped and blind, eventually dying at the age of 10, while his sister Dee Ann couldn't walk or speak. R.A. took refuge in hip hop, beginning his rap career at the age of 12, developing a style that killed all competitors citywide.
After conquering the New York battle scene as a teenager, stories of his ruthless rhymes and outrageous stage presence had the recording companies at attention, and soon R.A. was the subject of a nine label bidding war. At 18, he signed to Jive Records, but eventually was dropped for the violent, disgusting, and irresponsible behavior that would haunt him throughout his career.
Despite a notorious reputation for pissing off executives, R.A. developed a musical resume over the next 10 years that speaks for itself. Working with everyone from Mobb Deep to Notorious B.I.G, as well as producers such as Erick Sermon, Trackmasters, DJ Quick, Alchemist, Havoc, Buckwild, and Ayatolah. He was featured on all three of Rawkus's Soundbombing albums alongside Eminem and Mos Def, as well as the platnium selling WWF Aggression album. He recently signed a book deal with Testify Books, and his writing appears regularly in Vibe, King, Mass Appeal, and Rides. R.A. has accomplished all this without ever releasing an LP of his own.
Rolling Stone Magazine recently compared R.A.'s rap flow to that of a blue-eyed Biggie Smalls. When reviewing his song "On the Block", Vibe Magazine said, "I love this song. It give me goosebumps. It's very inventive." Now things seem to be going R.A.'s way and his music is beginning to recieve heavy praise by critics and fans worldwide.
With the release of the album "DIE, RUGGED MAN, DIE", (13 new songs featuring Killah Priest and Wu-Tang Clan's Masta Killa) his fans will finally get to see R.A.'s real-life struggles through his notoriously demented world view. It's a long overdue chance to prove himself, not only for his outrageous antics, but also for a musical and lyrical genius that until now has been overshadowed by controversy and fear in the industry. With lyrics as hard as rocks and stories to make your jaw drop, "DIE, RUGGED MAN, DIE" will be released on Nature Sounds - unless R.A. fucks up and gets dropped by them too.
Banned from performing live in most of the United States from 1995 to 1998, banned from recording studios and damn near every rap label that ever existed, R.A. the Rugged Man is finally back for revenge. While most rappers live in a world of fantasy, R.A. is one of the few MC's that you can guarantee his rhymes are real life - as sick as it might sound. When asked about R.A., Biggie Smalls was once quoted as saying "I thought I was the illest."
Coming from a broken Long Island home, R.A.'s father was a gun toting Vietnam veteran/mental patient affected by Agent Orange. His family was forever changed by the potent chemical - his brother Maxx was born handicapped and blind, eventually dying at the age of 10, while his sister Dee Ann couldn't walk or speak. R.A. took refuge in hip hop, beginning his rap career at the age of 12, developing a style that killed all competitors citywide.
After conquering the New York battle scene as a teenager, stories of his ruthless rhymes and outrageous stage presence had the recording companies at attention, and soon R.A. was the subject of a nine label bidding war. At 18, he signed to Jive Records, but eventually was dropped for the violent, disgusting, and irresponsible behavior that would haunt him throughout his career.
Despite a notorious reputation for pissing off executives, R.A. developed a musical resume over the next 10 years that speaks for itself. Working with everyone from Mobb Deep to Notorious B.I.G, as well as producers such as Erick Sermon, Trackmasters, DJ Quick, Alchemist, Havoc, Buckwild, and Ayatolah. He was featured on all three of Rawkus's Soundbombing albums alongside Eminem and Mos Def, as well as the platnium selling WWF Aggression album. He recently signed a book deal with Testify Books, and his writing appears regularly in Vibe, King, Mass Appeal, and Rides. R.A. has accomplished all this without ever releasing an LP of his own.
Rolling Stone Magazine recently compared R.A.'s rap flow to that of a blue-eyed Biggie Smalls. When reviewing his song "On the Block", Vibe Magazine said, "I love this song. It give me goosebumps. It's very inventive." Now things seem to be going R.A.'s way and his music is beginning to recieve heavy praise by critics and fans worldwide.
With the release of the album "DIE, RUGGED MAN, DIE", (13 new songs featuring Killah Priest and Wu-Tang Clan's Masta Killa) his fans will finally get to see R.A.'s real-life struggles through his notoriously demented world view. It's a long overdue chance to prove himself, not only for his outrageous antics, but also for a musical and lyrical genius that until now has been overshadowed by controversy and fear in the industry. With lyrics as hard as rocks and stories to make your jaw drop, "DIE, RUGGED MAN, DIE" will be released on Nature Sounds - unless R.A. fucks up and gets dropped by them too.
Vordul Mega Drops The Revolution of Young Havoks
Best known for being one half of the incredible group Cannibal Ox and a member of the Atoms Family, Vordul Mega is far from an ordinary MC. Vordul is the epitome of the new breed of street mic specialist with his smooth flow and vivid descriptions of urban life. Heads that heard Ox's critically acclaimed debut in 2001, Cold Vein, could grasp what Vordul is fully capable of. However, he was only getting warmed up.
Today, Vordul gears up for The Revolution of Young Havoks, his first solo project on Nature Sounds. Production on the album is shared by a host of east coast up and comers, including Belief, Blockhead, Ruddy Rock, and The Prof.
Vordul's influences vary from rock and roll to old school hip-hop of the eighties. Most of all, he was influenced by what he saw on a daily basis living in Harlem, NY. All of his experiences on the streets combined with his flawless ability of story telling are the sum and substance of Vordul's style and the focal point of his new solo project.
Prior to entering the rap game as Vordul Mega, he devoted his time to comic books, creating his own comic world complete with scripts and character development. Having the ability to tell stories with words inspired him to pick up a pen and write rhymes at the age of 13 while living in what is known as hip-hop's golden age.
"It's like dropping bombs from spaceships" Vordul explains of his approach to music. "The spaceship is unknown, it's some shit you don't know, but the bomb is some shit you know and understand."
Best known for being one half of the incredible group Cannibal Ox and a member of the Atoms Family, Vordul Mega is far from an ordinary MC. Vordul is the epitome of the new breed of street mic specialist with his smooth flow and vivid descriptions of urban life. Heads that heard Ox's critically acclaimed debut in 2001, Cold Vein, could grasp what Vordul is fully capable of. However, he was only getting warmed up.
Today, Vordul gears up for The Revolution of Young Havoks, his first solo project on Nature Sounds. Production on the album is shared by a host of east coast up and comers, including Belief, Blockhead, Ruddy Rock, and The Prof.
Vordul's influences vary from rock and roll to old school hip-hop of the eighties. Most of all, he was influenced by what he saw on a daily basis living in Harlem, NY. All of his experiences on the streets combined with his flawless ability of story telling are the sum and substance of Vordul's style and the focal point of his new solo project.
Prior to entering the rap game as Vordul Mega, he devoted his time to comic books, creating his own comic world complete with scripts and character development. Having the ability to tell stories with words inspired him to pick up a pen and write rhymes at the age of 13 while living in what is known as hip-hop's golden age.
"It's like dropping bombs from spaceships" Vordul explains of his approach to music. "The spaceship is unknown, it's some shit you don't know, but the bomb is some shit you know and understand."
Join in the fun at MySpace
If you are on MySpace you can conveniently keep up with Elemental going-ons by joining the group: http://groups.myspace.com/elemental
Also check out our page in the Music section to hear the latest tracks:
http://www.myspace.com/elementalconsulting
If you are on MySpace you can conveniently keep up with Elemental going-ons by joining the group: http://groups.myspace.com/elemental
Also check out our page in the Music section to hear the latest tracks:
http://www.myspace.com/elementalconsulting
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Waxploitation set to release CD to fight Genocide in Sudan; Jurassic 5, X-Ecutioners, Danger Mouse & Murs, Jill Scott, Mark Farina donate songs