Oddisee Featuring Toine of DTMD - "Different Now" Music Video

Kokayi - "Roxstar" Music Video Ft. The Rockafire Explosion

Taken from the QN5 Vimeo Page - The debut music video from Kokayi. taken from his critically acclaimed new album, 'Robots & Dinosaurs' on QN5 Music. Order now @ iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, UGHH & Fat Beats.

VIDEO CREDITS:
Director: Donlee Brussel
DP: T. Burton
2nd Unit: Huston Tronnes & Nick Schwarz
Editor: Justin Krook
Colorist: Frank Berrios @ Encore Hollywood

SONG CREDITS:
Written & Produced By: Kokayi
Remix By: Tonedeff

For more info: QN5.com

Tabi Bonney - "Get Me/Make A Killin"Music Videos

Gods'Illa - "Glaciers 1 & 2" - Directed by 6ix Shoota (Cool Kids Forever Films)

Kingpin Slim - Intro - The Beam Up 2 - Music Video -

New Kaimbr x Kev Brown x Roddy Rod x Hassan Mackey!

Courtesy of Rosenberg Radio, and Happy Born Day, Peter...

Here it is y’all. Everyone has been asking me about this tune. The first leak off of the Kaimbr & Kev Brown album (entirely produced by Kev Brown), The Alexander Green Project. This shit makes you believe again. If you don’t know about Low Budget–you gon’ learn.

Army Fatigue Rap - Kaimbr, Roddy Rod, Kev Brown, and Hassan Mackey -

http://usershare.net/g14v66d8s9ht

Gordo Brega - "Si Papi, Si" Music Video

Si Papi Si - Gordo Brega from 1st Impressions Studio on Vimeo.

Lady Love Ft. Ra The MC - Video Dir. By Tabi Bonney!

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Judah X Great White Bros. X Amber Rose - "Imagination" Music Video

WORDSMITH - "HOOK UP HOTLINE" MUSIC VIDEO BY SEANNIE CAMERAS

48-HOUR FILM FESTIVAL WINNER - THE IMPERIAL

NADASTROM ON VIMBY.COM BY SEANNIE CAMERAS OF OVP!!!

VIMBY - Nadastrom

RA THE MC - "WE RIDIN'" MUSIC VIDEO!!!

RatheMC ''We Ridin'' directed by GreatWhite Brothers from GreatWhite Brothers on Vimeo.

LYRICISS - THE DAY JOB MIXTAPE (DOWNLAOD)!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?jz2hmm3temt

J-$CRILLA FEATURED IN THE EXAMINER!!!

J-$crilla is the epitome of the obsessive, over-driven producer. To say he’s “prolific” doesn’t even begin to do justice to the work ethic this VA/DC-based DJ/producer has. Kid’s always got something going on; whether it is the myriad of mixtapes he’s produced or the beats he concocts. Since the late 90s $crilla has been out there putting in work without the benefit of any kind of major label support. His impetus is the relentless drive and passion he has for the music and the culture. He started by promoting parties and hitting up the college circuits; just putting himself out there and getting things done.

“I’m from the area known as the DMV; started off DJ-ing 14 or 15 years ago and kinda developed into a producer. The first record that I produced that went world-wide was a single I did with Elemental called “A Night in the Life of…” and it featured kids like Apathy and Celph Titled in 2001. I was known as DJ Hi-C back then; I changed my name to J-$crilla in 2003. I don’t even know why,” he says, laughing.


“In 2001 I had this party called ‘Battle of the Box’ and I had producers come and everybody flipped the same sample and battled it out live on stage. I think it was the first live beat battle ever; I know I went off the cuff, like it was brand new. I know a lot of stuff started happening at the same time, but I think I was the first one to do it. I grew into the idea of making beats and I been producing heavy since 2002 or so.”

You can’t really pin down his style or sound with just few deft descriptions; J-$crilla is the kind of producer that flows off the energy of the artist he’s working with. Some of his joints are crazy heavy (peep Guns-n-Butter uncut featuring XO and K-Beta). His nature is an easy one and is most likely the key to his ability to coax the best sounds from whomever he has in the booth.

“I think what my music encompasses is my spirit and energy. I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve really so if you listen to my music I think you’ll get a lot of the emotional type of stuff I try to put out there through my beats. It’s gotta’ be edgy, hard, soulful… anything along those lines.”

It’s why he is connected with so many different artists and styles; $crilla is one of those cats that is ingrained into all kinds of extended fam through crazy amounts of different collabos and side-projects, though his main affiliation is with his foundation team Guns-N-Butter and his label Inner Loop Records.

“Me and Chop-La-Rock started Guns-N-Butter. We put out some mixtapes hosted by Nature and Tragedy, Agallah and a bunch of other independent cats from New York. We just been getting work from a lot of underground heads from all over; people like JR Writer, Reef the Lost Cauze and most of the Jedi Mind Tricks/Army of the Pharaohs camp. We’ve also worked with a lot of kids from DC." The list of collaborations is long; names like Bloodsport, Lord Digga, NORE, Demoz, Smif N Wesson and N.A.I.L.S, just to name a few.

“In 2004 I started Inner Loop Records with my folks K-Beta and Overok. K-Beta had just gotten out of jail and we started putting out a couple of records. We let it go for a little bit but then around 2007 we resurrected it and went at it again. Now we’re one of the top labels out of the DMV. We market and brand artists, we have a roster. Pretty much what we’re going for right now is taking this ish world-wide, you know.”


The first major release coming from Innerloop is $crilla’s album Culture of Honor.

“My joint drops August 25th and it features mad underground, independent heads. All production is by me and I just got a ton of people on it; Reef, Cassidy, Oddisee, General Steele (Smif N Wessun), Slaine (La Coka Naostra), Block McCloud, JR Writer, Wordsmith, King Magnetic, Muggsy Malone, T.E.F.L.O.N., Ankh Amen Ra… just crazy amounts of really talented heads killin’ it over my beats. I got a DC posse cut on it with a bunch of DC cats doin’ it like Wordsmith, XO, Ra the MC, K-Beta, Oddisee… There’s about 35 artists on there. It’s 14 songs and I’m actually gonna be releasing it digitally, mainly, and it’s going to include 12 bonus instrumentals; so you buy the album you get 26 tracks on it. I’m also working on an album with an artist Sketch; he was featured in ‘Unsigned Hype’ and he’s got a real big buzz out here. Me and him are doing a whole album. That joint should be out by the end of the year. I got a lot of projects I’m working on and I’m always shopping beats; stuff like that.”

One of Guns-N-Butter’s most recent endeavor was done for Enemy Soil Records; the new upstart label run by Jedi Mind Tricks frontman Vinnie Paz.

“Yeah, Reef the Lost Cauze vs. Guns-N-Butter: Fight Music. Basically me and StU Bangas got up with Reef and we nailed this album out; it was like 2 years in the making and it should be coming out soon. We dropped the single at the end of June and it was Indie Spotlight’s Track of the week on iTunes and it got a lot of good looks. We’re looking at October or November for a release date.”


Until then, keep your eyes open for "Culture of Honor" dropping August 25th.

For more informationcheck out www.myspace.com/gunsnbutter or twitter.com/J_SCRILLA_DMV

J-SCRILLA, X.O. & K-BETA - "GUNS N' BUTTER" MUSIC VIDEO!!!

"Guns & Butter" XO and K-Beta (Produced by J-Scrilla) from Inner Loop Records on Vimeo.

New Leak From Soulstice's New Album, ft. Supastition!!!

The second leak from SoulStice’s upcoming album comes in the form of the title track; featuring Supastition & Angelina. And in case you didn’t check the first leak, here’s some info on the album…

The project is a collaboration between myself and Belgian beatmaker, SBe, who provides all of the instrumental music for the album. As far as the vocals, the songs are collaborations between myself and many of my favorite artists from around the world. We’ve got artists from the US, UK, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Africa, and Canada. The first time I ever traveled abroad was a trip I took Russia in 2000. The fact that the globalization of hip hop had reached all the way there really made an impression on me. Since then I’ve grown as an artist and have toured around the world, seeing firsthand how hip hop, as a US cultural export, has grown and become something new and different in these various places. Yet, the underlying theme is the same everywhere: hip hop continues to be the mouthpiece for people who exist outside of the mainstream to make their voices heard throughout society and around the world.

http://www.zshare.net/download/5973808537313a6a/#

NEW K-BETA EXCLUSIVE TRACK FROM 89-09 MIXTAPE!!!

Heads ain't ready, they gonna roll...

-SC-

DC ARTIST/GRAMMY NOMINATED KOKAYI SIGNS TO QN5 RECORDS!

MAD PROPS!

New York City Independent hip hop label, QN5 Music, has signed Washington, DC’s Grammy-nominated emcee/singer/producer, Kokayi, to its official stable of innovative artists and producers.
Pronounced “Ko-Kah-Yee” (or KOKE for short), this 202-native takes his name from the Swahili word meaning “to summon the people”. Musically self-sufficient and versatile in ways that the QN5 roster is known for, he produces his own music, writes his own rhymes, sings from the gut and is self-taught on several instruments.
A prime example of QN5’s New Hip Hop aesthetic, Kokayi joins the label as an in-house producer and artist who will release the sophomore follow-up to his independently released 2007 debut Mass Instructions. On his own, he’s already managed to tour the world and snag the aforementioned Grammy nod for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for his collaboration with vocalist Wayna.
What’s equally impressive, is his prolific output. Kokayi is keeping busy on multiple fronts with appearances on forthcoming QN5-releases as well as several side-projects already in the works – including a joint-project with producer Sharkey entitled Dastardly and a full-length project with his Afropunk band, The Caesarz. This high level of productivity goes a long way to prove his self-proclaimed mantra of “Less Talk, More Walk”.
“Honestly I pour everything out on a song. It allows me to free myself from any inhibitions,” Kokayi says of his approach to music. “If I can move people that say they don’t like hip hop, than I know my job is done.”
“I’ve always been extremely proud of the roster I’ve assembled under the QN5 banner and I’m highly selective of who we work with – but when I heard Kokayi’s Mass Intructions album, I was floored,” says QN5 label founder, Tonedeff. “This is a cat who seamlessly blends genres without so much as flinching and brings his own unique sound, slang and vibe to the table. His talent won’t allow him to play by the rules, so QN5 is definitely the perfect place for him.”

UNDERSOUND MUSIC'S, E MAJOR INTERVIEW!!!

The album Okayplayer called “one of the better bread and butter rap records… in a minute,” Majority Rules is the first official release from Under Sound Music’s CEO and franchise artist E Major. Although he’s released a mixtape, The Major General Mixtape, been on his labels compilation, Breaking Ground Vol. 1, and is known throughout his hometown of Baltimore, E Major is ready to bring his unique point of view to the masses. Majority Rules is his vehicle to do that.

Produced by some of Baltimore’s finest producers and featuring some of the areas best talent including J Soul as well as Philidelphia native and Rawkus Records artist Hezekiah, Majority Rules has a textured sound that is akin to his inspirations such as Mos Def, The Roots, Tribe Called Quest and early Slum Village. Using this backdrop E Major charasmatically puts his story into play.

Drawing interest by many through his music video for “Nuthin’ Nice” featuring Hezekiah, E Major has developed a following across the internet. Though his sound is inspired by a base of classic Hip Hop, E Major is bringing something new and different to a stale Hip Hop landscape. - Undersound.net -

E Major, Under Sound representative and CEO. Holding it down for B'more.



1.) - You are one of the fiew Baltimore artists, that has been able to transcend his city limits so to speak...You have a positive movement with Under Sound, a lens-crafter like Hilton Carter to make professional music video's for you, and you collaborate with artists, shop owner's, promoter's, dj's, etc. Where do you have time for all this, what's the ultimate focus! Breathe, go...

It's not easy. I try to stay focused on the main goal while still spreading the word through collaborations, performances and interesting events. I have so many interests and things I'd like to do within the industry and each thing that I take part in is a piece to the puzzle. But I definitely value time and try to make each thing I do bigger then the previous thing and I try to only do things that will further my progression and Under Sound as a whole. And I only collaborate with artists and other professionals that take it as seriously as I do, so each endeavor is worth wild.

2.) - How have you seen the Baltimore music scene morph since first stepping onto the scene? It's finally starting to get some love(Due in part to The Wire, Ace of Cakes) in tv, music(Baltimore club/dance is smashing it), and other aspects of popular-counter-culture...

It's been really interesting how Baltimore has grown since I started really going hard with my music. When I came in, there was a strong Hip Hop scene but it wasn't buzzing nationally at all. We always had a vision to take what we do and even some local artists that we respect to the next level and national exposure. I love what some of the television shows have done for us but at the same time I think The Wire has gotten the outside world to only check for us when it comes to street music and that's not exactly what we do. There's a lot here to uncover and I want to be part of that. Club music is a great way to cross barriers and we plan on using it to do just that.



3.) - How do you stand-out from the all the other talent, musically, creatively, artists etc. in a day, where everyone is an artist, and art(Especially music) is such a commodity?

We present everything we do on a professional level. I mean, there are other dudes who can rap and there are other artists who can perform well, but myself and Under Sound as a whole create professional work. We're artists from art backgrounds and we don't half step on anything. Now when you're talking about my approach to music, I don't think there are many people that can formulate a song like I can. I know how to write a song, create a hook that people will get down to, create a bridge or a break, have a crescendo and leave in the end feeling like you went on a 4 minute ride with me. I don't just rap, I make songs.

4.) - Do you see yourself getting onto more B'more club tracks?

Well I think it'll be part of what we do. We're from Baltimore, and it's part of who we are, so it's in us. So far with what I've done as far as collaborating with DJ Impulse (Under Sound's official DJ and part of the Skratch Mekaniks Crew) we've taken bits and pieces of club and added it to our style. What Scottie B and the originators of club music did was lay down the basis for us. A lot of the newer stuff is real choppy and hasn't been used that well with vocals yet, in my opinion. What Impulse and I are doing is bringing a melodic element to it, still using those classic club breaks. We want to explore the limits of where the sound can go while still keeping it grimy. It's really interesting.

5.) - Another thing a lot of MC's are doing these days, is jumping on grabbing a band for live shows, thinking that it will a new credibility to the music...You have already done the band thing, and I think still do shows, occasionally, is this true? Locally vs Nationally?

I love performing with a live band. You'll notice whenever Hip Hop artists go on the late night talk shows and when they perform at award shows they always use live musicians. I think it's because it just adds a whole other level of interest to the performance. I'd love to take a live band with me every time I play. It's great. But there are logistics involved with getting everyone to a venue and having the right equiptment for the gig and all that. It can be tough sometimes, especially when you're traveling out of state and you have to think about hotel costs and such. And you have to think about splitting up whatever the promoter is paying you with 4 or 5 other people too. So, depending on what a promoter is offering, the type of event it is, etc... I make my decision whether to rock with a band or not.



6.) - This area has always been a mecca for musicians, fanboys, groupies, bands, and indigenous music(Go-Go, BMore Club, HarDCore)Do you think that the dawn of the Baltimore/DC/VA area era in music, is upon us?

I think so. I think even the use of the term "DMV" is powerful. Having people rep the whole area has added validity to the movement here. Being 45 minutes north of DC, Baltimore is a bit seperated from that but I have a good connection with a lot of folks from DC and VA so I stay plugged into the whole movement for sure. We're actually putting out an album for a producer named Eddie from VA Beach at the end of April. I believe in the DMV movement and I think this is the year that everyone will start to recognize it, not just nationally, but globally.

7.) - Who, in the Mid-Atlantic are you feeling, right now?

I love what Wale is doing with Hip Hop and what Blaqstarr is doing with his style of Baltimore Club. Those two dudes are really doing it big right now.

8.) - Who is one, local artists that you would like to collaborate with now, that you haven't worked with before? Why?

That's really difficult because there are a lot of artists doing their thing and starting to blow up a little that I like. But on the same token most of them make different kinds of music then me so some of them might not mesh with what I do. It would be hard for me to just pick one. That's my diplomatic answer.



9.) - The flipside, who is one local artist you have worked with, you would love to again? Why?

Right now I really just want to continue to collab with family. I especially want to keep building this thing that Impulse and I have started. Our first song called "Paper Runnin'" has already gotten a great following and is starting to buzz hard. We have a video coming out for it very soon and I think that'll really push it further.

10.) - Shouts, props, things that are on deck, etc...


Shout out to the whole DMV. Everyone that's pushing to make us a contender in this game.

On deck right now we have Eddie's "Sound Wandering" album, more track from myself and Impulse aka The Demonstrators, a video for "Paper Runnin'" and a long awaited video for my second single from Majority Rules called "Make It." And by midspring the Major Major Mixtape should hit the net. B'more area folks can come see me open for Camp Lo at Sonar on April 17th. Yeah, I STAY busy. You can get all the latest news and exclusives from www.undersoundmusic.net.