Always liked to write and find blogging to be a relaxed and easily accessible place to put out my thoughts on things I enjoy...mostly...about music I feel isn't getting its proper due that moves me to my core
2011 was an excellent year for pop culture. Here are my favorites in music and film"
FAVORITE ALBUM 2011 (TIE) SOLOMON, Love Rocker Project BRITNEY SPEARS, Femme Fatale
Also great: Adele, 21 Chris Brown, F.A.M.E. Daughtry, Break the Spell David Guetta, Nothing but the Beat Deadmau5, 4x4=12 Drake, Take Care Eddy J Free, Star Trek (Deluxe) Eddy J Free, I Am the Mad Hatter Jill Scott, Light of the Sun Kelly Clarkson, Stronger Marsha Ambrosius, Late Nights and Early Mornings Mary J Blige, My Life II Mexica Brown, The Legend of Mexica Brown Mya, K.I.S.S. Pitbull, Planet Pit Rihanna, Talk That Talk
FAVORITE MIXTAPE 2011 VERBAL SCIENCE, Industry Knock Out
Also superb: Childish Gambino, Camp Frank Ocean, Nostalgia. Ultra.
FAVORITE REISSUES (TIE) BRITNEY SPEARS, B in the Mix 2 LESLEY GORE, Magic Colors
FAVORITE LEAK ARTISTS JoJo Kelly Rowland
FAVORITE DJ MIX ARTISTS DJ Drew G Montalvo DJ Ivan Mariscal
Deadlee, Drastiko and Goddess and She are the focus in this superb documentary about two of the most influential seminal artists in Homo Hop aka Out Hip Hop
2010 was an awesome year for music! Besides releasing my own CD, EVIL TWIN (available immediately on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby etc. Plug Plug), there were many great records released. Here are my favorites:
Annie, Don't Stop Black Eyed Peas, The Beginning Christina Aguilera, Bionic Drake, Thank Me Later Drew Mason, Soldier for the Cause Eddy J Free, Mad City 2010 Erykah Badu, New America Part 2 Fantasia, Back to Me Goldfrapp, Head First Kate Nash, My Best Friend Is You Katy Perry, Teenage Dream Ke$ha, Animal Ke$ha, Cannibal Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon Kylie Minogue, Aphrodite Little Boots, Hands Loren Jamal, Metamorphosis Madonna, Animal Massive Attack, Heligoland Nicki Minja, Pink Friday Rihanna, Loud Robyn, Body Talk Part 1, 2 & 3 Salvimex, Ruztico Sleigh Bells, Treats Smut Stud, Step on Your Shadow Verbal Science, Rude Awakening
All of these CDs are guaranteed 100% bomb! So if you don't know the artists or the music, have at it -check them out! You won't be sorry you did!
Tampa. Florida-based hip hop artist Verbal Science (VS) was already making inroads in the regional rap scene as a straight rapper, garnering fans, positive press and associations with T-Pain and Paul Wall, among others, when he made the shocking decision to come out as a gay man. He told OutHipHop.Com recently: "It was either come out or lose my mind," noting that while he lost some fake friends, he gained hundreds more fans. VS typically downplays the courage and conviction it took to make that step, but his fire is on display in all its glory on his superb mixtape, RUDE AWAKENING, for all to hear.
A skilled virtuoso of a wordsmith, the handsome VS spits rhyme on a variety of topics over sick ridic beatz. One standout is "Life Is A Journey," a moody, intense reflection on discovering he was gay, being angry with God for letting him be gay, coming to acceptance and joy in who he is, and how that journey impacted his music. "Please" is a sweet (!), erotic ode to a lover who rocks his world and, evidently, areas closer to home ("I love you so deeply, would marry you easily"). There is a defiant collaboration with Deadlee and DownLow, "They Can't Stop Me" and a beat-terrific "Bob Ya Head." There are suprising and inventive raps of encouragement and inspiration ("Believe," "Take the Pain Away") that show the enormous range Verbal Science possesses and isn't shy about showing off.
There are soul-satisfying hardcore diss tracks like "I Don't Give A Fuck (No)" ("If you don't like it - TURN IT UP!") aimed squarely at anti-gay critics, as well as fierce declarations of independence and self-worth like "Lemme Show You" and "Can Never Bring Me Down."
Yes, there are echoes of Eminem in VS' work, but then for all his vaunted outrageousness, Eminem doesn't approach the disarming honesty, openness and sensitivity of Verbal Science. It's as if VS has fully absorbed the most important mandate of hip hop: to tell the truth and to shine light on situations, people, lives that are routinely dismissed and overlooked by the mainstream. And he does this by telling stories of his own life in what is one of the finest records of this - or any - year.
And here's the best part - you can download RUDE AWAKENING as well as several recent VS tracks for FREE right here:
The advance copies of EVIL TWIN went out a month ago and the first reviews are in! About 85% of the copies sent out were commented on by industry movers and shakers such as some of the names below...and family and friends are digging this record too!
60s pop star and songwriter Lesley Gore had this to say: "I got a chance to listen to your CD last night. Wow. You are amazingly prolific. I enjoyed the CD very much. It took me almost a minute to recognize 'I Just Don't Know if I Can.' Great surprise. I think you have improved that baby. I hope it does well." NOTE: "I Just Don't Know if I Can" is a hidden bonus track, the only song I didn't write on EVIL TWIN. Lesley Gore and Carol Bayer Sager wrote it in 1964.
Gay rap legend Deadlee, primary influence on the tone of the CD, said this: "The EVIL TWIN CD is a dash of the past dash of the future mixed together is FIRE!! You surprised me. I made a copy for my truck - don't wanna mess this one up! MY favorite tracks - "Morning Wood," "Assault" & secret trax oh & "Suicide"
Lyricist Mistery Face wrote: "Enjoyin dis album very much - "Edge" is crazy..."
Underground gay rap star The Da Quan of Sgt Sass says: "...the CD is inspiring, your lyrics are moving...thank you for sharing your gift."
R&B wunderkind producer-writer-songwriter-recording artist Loren Jamal: "You did an excellent job on your album, I played it today in my office and I like it a lot! Two thumbs up #LJCertified ;-)"
Multi-talented producer-artist Eddy J Free says: "Very creative, experimental and cool stuff. I get it man."
And now that EVIL TWIN is on iTunes and CD Baby, the reviews will continue to come in! But don't sleep! Get yours! You can sample all the songs on either site - soon to be on Amazon as well...
Five years after their groundbreaking Spanish language debut, "Uniendo Fuerzas," Latino hip hop supergroup Salvimex finally returns with an all new CD, "Rustico," and it was definitely worth the wait. The three - sometimes four - members of Salvimex (the prolific Juan Pacheco aka Drastiko, Roberto Gomez aka Tercer Discipulo, Jose Cruz aka Cruz, and Wakko) have put out a record that is even stronger than their debut. A blend of Mexican and Salvadoranean cultures and musics as well as both gay and straight members, "Rustico" provides uplifting, rousing, highly contemporary songs that retain their Latin credibility and push the music further into the future.
A few months ago, Salvimex performed an abbreviated set at The Metro in Oakland to a sparse but ecstatic crowd and proved themselves to be as exciting in person as they are on record. They treated the audience to "Uno Dos Tres" and "Hey Mami" from this CD, and had jaws dropping at their passion, fierceness and energy, as well as alerting us that "Rustico" was going to be the bomb. Take a look at the video of the fiery "Hey Mami," anchored by its pumping DJ Pain 1 produced rhythms and inventive beatz, and you will recognize that this quartet are born performers and crowd-pleasers. Plus - admit it! - they are damn easy on the eyes!
But the proof is in the music and "Rustico" delivers. "Uno Dos Tres," one of several tracks helmed by genius producer DJ Pain 1, is deceptively simple and catchy as fuck. The moody, heartbreaking "Poema" is next, and then comes "Rustico"'s ace: "Summer Days" which finds Salvimex joined by out hip hop icons Deadlee and Drew Mason bringing their A game; newcomers Supplanter and Cricket Nasty spitting world class rhyme alongside their gay rap homies as if to say "So What!!" set to a supple, superb Tori Fixx production. The irresistibly catchy summertime anthem fits seamlessly into the Southern California Beach Boys/surf/"California Night" canon and should have absolutely ruled the airwaves and dance floors all summer long.
Traditional sounds abound on this epic CD. Chalo Gomez sounds like a revved up, younger Cesaria Evora on "Me Equivoque," a straight-up Mexican canto, and the foreboding sounding "Hechele Compadre" highlights the silky yearning emotive and very sexy El Rebalde de Jalisco on vocals. My favorite cut, "Que Triste," is powerful, pounding, heartrending. Listen once and if you don't feel your hear open, you better check to see if it is there!
Finally dancefloor jams abound on "Rustico," among them "La Ranita," "Manifesto" (again with Drew Mason in a clever Tori Fixx production) and the magnificent "Para Una Perra."
Executive produced by Drastiko, with evocative artwork by the one and only Hector Silva and gorgeous graphics and photos by the up and coming Juan L. Cruz, "Rustico" is a definite frontrunner for one of the best CDs of the year. And the next...Do not miss!
It's due out within two weeks, but here's the tracklist in advance to whet your appetite!
Trick Assault Can't Wait to Kiss You Evil Twin Morning Wood Time for You to Go Sometimes On the Internet Smitten (He Don't Know) Invitation to Dance Let It Rain Back Streetz Edge Suicide (Nio Tone featuring Jim Allio)
Always liked to write and find blogging to be a relaxed and easily accessible place to put out my thoughts on things I enjoy...mostly...about music I feel isn't getting its proper due that moves me to my core
