The MC Type - Space Needle featuring Seattle

Good guy I've know since I did my first show at Chop Suey, The MC Type.  We've crossed paths quite a few times and while I was out in Indy he stayed at the crib when he was on tour.  Cool cat, funny as sh!t. 

A couple months ago he sent out word that he wanted to do a track with every rapper in Seattle.  The concept was simple, everybody spits 2 bars and they have to say Space Needle in it.  I was down from the jump and by the time I heard a version where I laid down my vocals there was already a significant amount of rappers on the track. 

About every few weeks he'd send the latest version and an update of it's progress.  He finally decided to call it good after 50 MCs.  (bonkers)  Later he stated that he's going to file Guinness for a world record for most guest appearances on a track. 



Check the track, hear me drop my 2 bars and support the homie and his "Good Tattoo" project that's dropping soon.

The Fall (Slow Jam remix)

This month I'm dropping a bonus cut for the "Revisionist History" project in the form of a remix of "The Fall."  I honestly had NO intentions of remixing this joint, but I was just riding in my car on the way to work and this just hit me.  Got home, laid it out and BLAM!  The original was already knocking, but this is on some Slow Jam with the ladies ish.  (just in time for Valentines Day) 



Also, the "Revisionist History" project is now up on the soundcloud joint. 

J Dilla Collection Sale



If you haven't been aware, a large amount of records that were owned by the late J Dilla are now being sold to the public by the J Dilla Foundation.  I was able to get my hands on this record and will seriously cherish it. 

"THE J DILLA RECORD COLLECTION SALE
J-DILLA.COM JANUARY 22, 2013
Years ago J Dilla moved a large collection of records, personal test presses and audio master tapes into a storage until after his Detroit basement studio flooded. Shortly thereafter he moved to Los Angeles.

The storage unit was left by Dilla and taken care of by his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, but attention and priorities soon shifted: Dilla became seriously ill and hospitalized, and with his mother at his side in Los Angeles during a planned two-week visited that turned into years, the unit was lost.

In Spring of 2012, the entire collection was finally recovered. The back payments and fees were paid – Ma Dukes was reunited with the contents she last saw just before leaving to L.A. to take care of Dilla.

Maureen Yancey is now selling a portion of the record collection in the first of a series of weekly sales taking place on eBay.

EBAY.COM DILLA RECORD COLLECTION
Buyers receive an LP from the collection of J Dilla, with a signed, numbered certificate from Maureen Yancey stating that the record is from this personal collection.

The certificates are numbered with the plan of an online registry for Dilla fans to list their Dilla Collection LP. Buyers are welcomes to include the artist, title, and whether any tracks on the LP are known to have been sampled by Dilla. This registry is dependent on the sales of the limited amount of the collection and response from the fans"

The Fall

Sometimes when I write, it takes forever... other times, it flows like water.  This track was one of those joints that just came together quickly.  In many ways, this project is forcing me to do that.  BUT...  in some ways the source material for this track started in February 2002, when I met my wife, so it's had time to build and develop.

At the start of the New Year I had no idea what to do for the upcoming month's installment.  I was working on a couple things and listening to a lot of music, as I do during my long commutes everyday.  I suddenly thought about taking on one of my favorite Slum Village tracks.  But, instead of just sampling, chopping etc. I decided to replay it on my Fender Rhodes.  "Fall In Love", in my opinion, is one of J. Dilla/Slum Village's most iconic songs.  Being February and the anniversary of Dilla's birthday/death I decided to do the closest thing to a tribute that I could.  These days, J. Dilla mixes and tributes are kind of a dime a dozen as he's become the underground 2pac, but I wanted to do something special that wasn't just the token ish you see on boards and blogs. 



So... with the help of many artists I know and look up to, the song took shape.  I'd ask their opinion, let them hear demos, ideas ets.  I wanted to know if they thought I was on to something of if I was out of my mind because there's a thin line between paying homage and just looking like a buster.  And with this dialog the 2nd half/verse came to be.  I almost thought it was TOO crazy, but I thought the themes of the tracks and the vibe would work well together.  In my opinion I think they do.  (enter Common's classic "I Used To Love H.E.R.")




I could probably go on and on about the behind the scenes with this track or talk about what it could have been/become, but I honestly think the best thing to do is to just let it play. 

Po'Safe Beats - Carefully Avoiding These

Po' Safe Beats just dropped a beat tape/inst. LP titled "Carefully Avoiding These".  As usual, Po' Safe lays down some slick production and paints a canvas in the vein of MF Doom's "Special Herbs" series. 

Emcees, DJs and beatheads should not avoid these. 

"Carefully Avoiding These" is a collection of work from Po' Safe Beats. If interested in full versions of any of these tracks or exclusive beats, contact via email at posafebeats@gmail.com or twitter @PoSafeTweets. (any and all support is most definitely appreciated, but alternative download available @ www.mediafire.com?v8xu1xnefcybm5x)

RA Scion - Guttersnipe Bridge

RA Scion is another emcee that I respect and was honored to collab with.  (see Steal)  He posted a track from his upcoming project with Todd Sykes called "Guttersnipe Bridge".  Simply dope hip hop.  RA doing what he does and Todd Sykes doing some serious dope ish on the beats. 

Check it.

Rusty Redenbacher - Ultra Somethin'

Starting off a new year with another joint from the "Revisionist History" project.  This track was one of the 1st songs that was laid down and some of you may have heard it, but here it is FINALLY and officially released.  There's a LOT of back story behind this song and it's honestly one of the dopest recording experiences I've had.  

When I first was thinking about this project and planting seeds, I was in the process of leaving Seatown, finishing "Basement Sessions" and trying to network with artists in Indy.  (preemptive strike before I got there)  I heard of The Mudkids, but didn't know they were from Naptown.  When I discovered they were from Indy, I started a dialog with Rusty about the scene, what I did, what I was working on etc.  I mentioned the "Revisionist History" project and he said he did a couple tracks along those lines in the past, one being a flip of Ultramagnetic MC's "Ego Trippin".  He sent me the track and it was ON. 

After hearing the track that Rusty did, I asked him if he would be down to do a pseudo sequel or a continuation of that song.  He was down and I got to work on the SP.  Meanwhile... a friend of mine from Seattle also did a flip of "Ego Trippin" and the Melvin Bliss/Substitution break.  I asked Ced, who was the DJ for Likeminded, if he wanted to collab on this track.  (Two beatmakers/DJs flipping the same break making two beats and one emcee ripping the track.)  Ced was down and sent me the session files.

The version I did was some classic break beat boom bap and Ced's joint was more updated with a nod to the past.  I thought the two together would seriously be a dope mixing of the two styles.  The files, however, didn't translate well in my DAW.  (and now looking back, I now know how I could have fixed the problem)  Alas, I did the best I could and honestly I thought the two together were pretty dope.  BUT, in order to get them to work I had to do a lot of cutting, pasting, splicing, chopping etc.  Ced's original beat was becoming more and more a remix of his beat than his original.  We went along with recording it as it was, but after I had a rough mix of the track with Rusty's vocals, Ced decided he wasn't liking it and wanted his portion to be taken out.  In the long run he was right because it ended up becoming a better song.

I went back to the SP1200 and made another beat.  I could have kept the same beat and kept it rocking through the whole track, but the idea of what Ced and I were doing was to keep it moving and changing up to keep the listener engaged.  The foundation was the same with the Melvin Bliss break, but I wanted something else.  On a couple of the other beats I made for the project I was not only flipping classic hip hop records, but kind of doing a mash up of different OG source samples.  (Example: the main beat you'd hear would be the Tom Scott/T.R.O.Y. sample, but I'd chop "Impeach the President" to sound like the drum pattern to "Top Billin.")  Having that concept in mind, I wanted to do the same with this song, but have it continuously progress and change on some DJ and emcee ish.  The final product is a mix of Ultramagnetic, BDP, The Beatnuts, Public Enemy, Gangstarr and more. 



As for recording the vocals...  I already knew Rusty could rock a show.  He truly is an emcee and a master of ceremony.  I originally thought he was just going to do a redux version of the track he originally did, but I was in for a surprise.  Rusty came through, walked into my studio, chopped it up for a few minutes about records and then got to work.  I threw on the beat and he just sat down, pulled out his comp book and started writing.  In what seemed like only 20 minutes or so, he had his rhymes done and was like, "Let's do this!"  Not only had he come up with new lyrics on the spot, but it was some party rocking rhymes that were about him rollin' up to the spot, the dog barking at him, sitting down working on the song and what the "Revisionist History" project was.  We hit record and within just a couple takes we were done.  I honestly have only worked with a handful of people that have been able to do something like this and it was so dope to witness it in action.

Straight hip hop.

So without further delay, check this month's "Revisionist History" track "Ultra Somethin" and cop my man Rusy Redenbacher's new project "Lower."