VERBAL SCIENCE ROARS OUT OF THE CLOSET WITH "RUDE AWAKENING"

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:

http://verbalscience.bandcamp.com/

Word Is Out on EVIL TWIN and It's All Good!

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...

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/evil-twin/id405771166

Salvimex Returns with Superb "Rustico"

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!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rustico/id402473733

EVIL TWIN Tracklist

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)

plus a couple of surprises!

Smut Stud Ready to Step Out of the Shadows Again

"WHAT UP!" grins the affable, bearishly handsome gay rap star who goes by the rap name, Smut Stud, as he leans into the video camera. Seated at the console in his recording studio, Smut streams interactively on U-Stream live whenever the mood hits him for an hour or two, letting his audience in on his process of creating his brilliant and groundbreaking brand of OutHipHop. He talks about his love of cratedigging for 70s and 80s soul vinyl in flea markets and shares his discoveries with his viewers. He demonstrates how he samples sounds from these records to create his ingenious, clever and addictive beatz. He talks with the folks watching him create his music live, and he archives the shows so others can go back and access his generous spirit and creativity and learn his techniques. He plays keyboards over the samples, leaves for a minute to use the bathroom, and one memorable time spent the show playing his own songs and talking about them.

Smut Stud was well on his way to a big career in the music industry as a producer and beatmaker when he released his first mixtape in 2007, "Waiting for E-Male," by far the finest gay rap record since Deadlee's "Assault with a Deadlee Weapon," and chose to deal with the realities of being a young gay Chicano male as his subject matter. The music was compelling West Coast rap a la Death Row, the melodies were catchy as fuck and the lyrics were immediate and mind-opening. For a young gay man in the closet encountering this music, it must have felt miraculous. By having the courage to create music from his own pain, joy and experience, Smut Stud has undoubtedly helped scores of people he has never even met. Fittingly, none less than Deadlee himself hailed Smut Stud as the best gay rapper in the mix today.

"Waiting for E-Male" was so amazing because even though it traversed some of the same terrain of detailing marijuana use ("Smut Stud on chronic/munchies at Sonic") and the joys of a gangsta party ("This Is How We Do It," the type of irresistible party jam Montell Jordan wishes he could still sell credibly), for the most part Smut chose to take a hard left and talk forthrightly about his life as a homosexual man, so-called "warts" and all. Political correctness and straight-people-pleasing are both left in the dust as he sings about the pleasures of fellatio ("Going Down"), trade logic ("Take Away the Pain"), navigating complicated gay relationships ("Just A Friend" with its witty Biz Markie sample, "Mind Fucked"), and bear sensibility ("As Long," "Cheating"). He also details the rocky roads of coming out ("Coming Out"), love, heartbreak and depression ("Love," "Anniversary"), all set to rhymes, tunes and beatz I defy anyone who's breathing to resist. To make it even better, the whole genius Smut Stud first mixtape is available free for download here: http://www.outhiphop.com/ohh-free-downloads/2008/6/6/smut-studs-waiting-for-e-male-cd-download-free.html

For the last couple years, Smut Stud has been working on his next mixtape, originally titled "Step On Your Shadow," and doing his video blog on U-Stream. Songs currently playing on his My Space page are startling and original and display his burgeoning love of Philly Sweet Soul of the 1970s and 80s. He's originally from Philadelphia, now based in heavy music town Austin, Texas. His new stuff shows he's lost none of his sass or observation ("innercity slutz just hangin off my nutz...i ain't a gangsta, i just lean a lot"), sexual frenzy ("Bad Luck"), "Light Me Up" with its fierce TSOP flava, club insecurity in ("when your shorty's) Got You Guessing") and straight-up gay gangsta stance in "Step On Your Shadow." Remarkably, Smut revealed recently that none of these songs are likely to turn up on the new mixtape, now due in 2011. So for hardcore Smut Stud fans, his My Space page is the only place to hear these jams and not for long. Maybe we should lobby him to make them available for download so we can play them on our phones and in our cars.

Whatever Smut Stud ultimately comes up with for his next project, there's no doubt it will be forward-thinking, musically hot and candid. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next and look forward to his ongoing video blog "tutorials." Smut Stud got the real stuff of greatness. Check him out:

myspace.com/smutstud
twitter.com/SmutStud

Personal Note: One Saturday night I was participating in Smut's live video show, and after the show was over, he kept his camera on and listened to several of my songs and discussed them with me. He particularly liked "On the Internet." This generosity of spirit and willing open-mindedness is almost unheard of and I still smile inside when I think about that.

You can catch his video blog here as well as access his past shows archived here:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/stud-tv---in-the-studio-live