#31 “The Lyrical Stimulus Plan”

As some of you have noticed I reviewed Change’s The Stimulus Plan and the album is featured on this podcast along with other tracks that a dark sound production wise, but a very strong message lyrically…I call it The Lyrical Stimulus Plan! Take A Listen!!!

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Track (Artist)- Album

Family Ties produced by Anno Domini (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

Crippling feat. R.U.S.H (Cas Metah)- Providence Road

If I Don’t Make (DeepSpace5)- Unique Just Like Everyone Else

Mama Don’t Cry (Surreal)- Pardon My Dust

Savior (Change)- Same As It Never Was

Dedication feat. Praverb (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

Inside Out (Mars ILL)- Backbreakanomics

Remember (The Tunnel Rats)- Tunnel Vision

American Fado feat. Renee Alston (The Procussions)- 5 Sparrows for 2 Cents

Forgive Me (Sharlok Poems)- Blooming Sounds

An Excellent Few feat. Sintax and ManChild produced by Mouf Warren (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

Perspective (TheBreax)- Restocked

Girl, Interrupted produced by Flynn (L.A Symphony)- Unleashed

Together (Theory Hazit)- Lord Fire produced by Vintage

Bonus Track feat. 3rd Degree (Cas Metah)- Guest Room

Seasons produced by JustMe (Motion Plus)- The Sound Protest

Not A Stranger feat. Elias (Change)- The Stimulus Plan

An Interview With Change

BigSto: First of all Change it’s an honor interview and thank you for stopping by.
Change: Thanks for having me homie, I appreciate the coverage and you helping spread the word about real hip-hop.

BigSto: So for listeners who are out of the loop with Change give them a little background on yourself, and just because I’m curious how did you come up with the name Change?
Change: Haha! I get asked that question a lot, believe it or not. But anyway, my last name is Penney, like the department store, not the coin… And growing up, cats used to call me Chump Change because of my last name. It just stuck… so when I started rhyming, I decided to just go with Change since I’d been known by that for years. As for some background on me… Well, I’ve released 2 official LP’s (Tuesday Mournings 05′, Same As It Never Was 07′) one unofficial and unavailable LP (Poetik Skripturez 03′) a couple of mixtapes, and two official EP’s (Penny for Your Thoughts 06′, The Stimulus Plan 09′).

BigSto: What motivates the music that you write (whether it’s musical, spiritual or other people in your life)?
Change: Different things inspire different songs. Nine times out of ten, it’s my own life experiences. Other times it’s experiences I’ve witnessed my friends or family go through. But 100% of what I write comes from personal observation of that topic or situation. I’m a firm believer in being real on the mic. Fans know when artists lie about who they are, their backgrounds, etc… Why try to be something you’re not? Just be real with it, and people will feel you.

BigSto: I’m gonna take a stab and say that God plays a big part in your music, how does your life with Christ and just life in general translate to what you put into your music.
Change: I grew up in church, from the time I was a few months old. So God has always been a part of my life, even when I didn’t want anything to do with Him. But over the last 10 years, I’ve done by best to be dedicated to Him, and minister to other people through my music. Not necessarily by quoting scripture or dropping Jesus 100 times per verse… but by relating to people right where they are. In their struggles, in their sin, and let em know there’s a better way.

BigSto: Now I believe the best quality that you have as an emcee is your ability to relate so closely to the listener, exactly how are you able to do this?
Change: Honestly, I don’t really know. I’d love to give you some elaborate answer on how I’ve studied human thought patterns and how certain words evoke emotions in people and it allows me to craft stories that people can relate to… But I’d be lying… haha! I just write from the heart, man. I wear my heart on my sleeve, when you listen to my music, you’ll feel what I feel. Whether it’s anger, sorrow, depression, whatever… I just try to paint my emotions with words. Sometimes it works.

BigSto: The Stimulus Plan at least in my eyes was taking the hard-hitting lyrics and dark production of “Savior” from Same As It Never Was and taking it to another level, with more hard-hitting lyrics and even darker beats. How did the idea for The Stimulus Plan come about?
Change: The idea came from me being fed up with everyone and their mom releasing mixtapes and free downloads, and 99% of what was available was garbage. B-Sides from peoples albums and lackluster production. Or people using mainstream beats and what not. Couple that with the economic strife that’s been going on in this country the last few years, and all the talk about Obama’s stimulus plan… I thought it would be a good idea to put out a project free to the fans, with my most current and best work. Have some top notch guest appearances, and give people something that was actually worth the time it took to download.

BigSto: I know I’m jumping around a bit but how did you and Anno Domini get together to handle to make most of this album and why did you choose the dark sound to accompany the lyrics that you used for this album?
Change:Anno Domini is actually a production team of 5 or 6 different producers. One of them goes by the name Anno Domini, and he’s based in the UK. We met up online a few years ago when I heard some of his beats, and decided to contact him about doing some production for my Same As It Never Was LP. He ended up doing a few tracks for the album, Real Lyricists, Savior, For the Money, and She Sings were all handled by his production team. So when I started on The Stimulus Plan, I went right back to them and copped some fresh new stuff. I’m drawn to production that’s dark as it evokes certain emotions in me, and I’m at my best when I’m telling stories, so naturally I chose beats to suit that. These dudes make serious bangers on the emotional tip, and I love what they do.

BigSto: When someone is done listening to your music what should the listener feel about Change the artist and how should they feel about life in general?
Change: I hope they feel that life, as depressing and horrible that it can be at times, is a journey that when taken in step with God, can be much better. Not necessarily easier, because being a Christian isn’t easy at all. But better knowing that God has you, and He’s promised to take care of you no matter what, if you follow Him. As for me… I hope they feel I’m real. I hope they know that I won’t lie or spit something to gain exposure or fame. That I’m that dude who lives down the block from you, and is going through the same stuff you are. Life happens to everyone, I just choose to write songs about it.

BigSto: So who were your favorite musical artists growing up? And what do you listen now?
Change: Growing up, hands down it was Bone Thugs N Harmony. I was already a huge rap fan, but when they came on the scene when I was in High School, it was like the world of rap stepped into a new realm. I was a huge Bone head. I was also really into Pac, BIG, Dre and Snoop, etc… You name em, I was probably vibing to them at some point. From backpack rap to hardcore stuff, I was into it. Bizarre Ride to the Pharcyde was one of my all time favorites, and so was The Chronic. I was all over the map. Now days, I don’t listen to anything most of the time. Running a studio, and handling the mixing and mastering for so many artists, I don’t really care to listen to much stuff outside of the studio. I’m a sports radio kind of guy these days. Like, I haven’t even heard Braille’s last two albums, and I couldn’t tell you what songs were on them. It’s not that I don’t like his stuff, I think Braille’s dope… I just don’t have a lot of time to listen to music outside of the studio.

BigSto:With our economy not being the best right now, The Stimulus Plan was a very fitting name for what’s happening right now. What message are you trying to convey with this EP?
Change: It’s obviously a play off Obama’s Stimulus Plan for the economy, but it’s also more than that.
1. It’s free, so I’m helping you to stimulate the economy by spending your hard earned cash somewhere else.
2. I’m stimulating your mind with thought provoking and challenging lyrics.
3. I hope I’m stimulating your spirit man to become closer to God, or connect with Him for the first time if you haven’t yet.

BigSto: Now that The Stimulus Plan is released and finished what is next on Change’s agenda, could we see a full LP anytime soon?
Change: Another LP is in the future, but right now I’m just doing it because I love it. I don’t want to worry about budgets and sales figures, demographics and marketing, etc… So I plan on working on another EP to release later this year, maybe in the fall. In the mean time, people can cop my latest LP “Same As It Never Was” on iTunes, Sphere, Amazon, etc…

BigSto: Besides pounding mikes what else does Change like to do in his spare time?
Change: I’m a father, so I spend a ton of time with my son. But outside of that, I’m a youth leader at my church, I also help run the multimedia and sound department at my church. Plus, whenever I get the time, I love jumping on my motorcycle and taking off for a day of riding. It brings a real sense of calm and freedom.

BigSto: Okay Change thank you so much for stopping by it’s been a pleasure being able to interview you. Anything else you’d like to say to your fans?
Change: Thanks again, fam. I appreciate you taking the time. I hate to self promote, but please cop the last LP “Same As It Never Was” from my website www.changehiphop.com or www.sphereofhiphopstore.com or iTunes, or somewhere, just go cop it! And I appreciate everyone downloading “The Stimulus Plan” and I hope you all enjoy it.

#30 Man Of The Hour: Sev Statik

Sev Statik…Tunnel Rat, DeepSpace5 member and accomplished solo artist. Sev Statik has been a guest for many other artists in the Christian Hip Hop realm (Dokument, Forgotten Heroes, Kaboose, LPG, Paradox, Theory Hazit, TheBreax and others). So here’s an hour show for those of you who don’t know “Da Pointman”

Click to Download

Track (Artist)- Album

Intro (Sev Statik)- Speak Life

Sev Statik (The Tunnel Rats)- Tunnel Vision

Altitude (Sev Statik and Dust)- Back To Dust

Sock Full of Batteries produced by Dust (DeepSpace5)- BakeSale

Poor Penmanship (Sev Statik)- Speak Life

Thinking by Numbers (DeepSpace5)- A Night We Called It A Day

Hungry As Sin produced by MuzeOne (Sev Statik)- Shotgun

Global feat. LPG (Sev Statik)- Speak Life

Burn (The Tunnel Rats)- The Tunnel Rats

Invisible Bars (Sev Statik)- Speak Life

Line Finish (The Tunnel Rats)- Tunnel Vision

Invisibullet (Stu Dent)- Act of God 1

Timeless feat. Has-Lo (Sev Statik)- Shotgun

Equation (Stu Dent)- Act of God 1

The Godz (Sev Statik and Dust)- Back To Dust

For The Heads (The Tunnel Rats)- Tunnel Vision

Putcha Name On It feat. Supastition (Sev Statik and Dust)- Back To Dust

Speak Life (Sev Statik)- Speak Life

Economic Stimulus Plan….overrated….How About Lyrical Stimulus Plan (Change’s Stimulus Plan Review)

So I’ve been on the Sphere forums for about six months (don’t worry I’ve been into SphereofHipHop for the past three years) I remember when I first jumped on the forums I saw advertising for Change’s album an EP whose name escapes me and had guests from everywhere. I decided to investigate and actually downloaded Change’s LP, Same As It Never Was and loved it. So naturally when I got Change’s new FREE EP The Stimulus Plan in my email I was psyched to hear it.

Change has an ability that many artists lack and only a few artists have mastered (Braille, JustMe, Theory Hazit some prime examples), the ability to strongly relate to the listener. I honestly believe Change is the best in that department, his lyrics convey the pain that we all go through in our lives and how we have to follow God to get through this pain. Does Change’s The Stimulus Plan provide the lyricism that the mainstream hip hop economy lacks (hehe see what I did there)?

Now people who’ve listened to his LP Same As It Never Was should remember the song “Savior” (my favorite song off the album). If you liked “Savior” then The Stimulus Plan is an EP made in heaven for you. Most of the album has that dark sound and lyrics guaranteed to hit home for the listener. Anno Domini handled the production on four of the seven tracks on the album.

I won’t ruin the entire EP for you so I’ll go over three of the songs but I will say this album is worth downloading the most of the songs we’re downright amazing from both production and lyrical standpoints. I will say though the only song I wasn’t feeling was “Stick Up” just because of the beat the lyrics were fine. “Family Ties” produced by the previously mention Anno Domini and this track showcases Change’s amazing storytelling talent with three different (or maybe one big) story of issues within families that are legitimately happen in real life, this track just made me think of how blessed I am to a family that loves me and doesn’t hurt me.

“Dedication” is the track that follows “Family Ties” and features Praverb and basically it covers why Change and Praverb rap. They don’t rap for money, honeys or the chains that go with it, but they rap to show that they’re people like us that go through the same things as us. It’s the one track on the EP that doesn’t have that dark sound the rest of the album portrays and it’s a good track.

My favorite track of this EP is “Not A Stranger” once again produced by Anno Domini and goes back to the dark sounding beats. However change brings along Scribbling Idiot Elias to drop a verse on this track. Now I don’t know why, but every and I mean every track Elias is on it turns into a classic (I have yet to hear a bad track that Elias is on). The one thing about Anno Domini’s production is the utilization of the piano it adds to the dark sound and it’s just awesome. If I have the song’s meaning correct (which I’m not sure I do) Change is possibly rapping about the problems that happen during relationships and how even though the problems are hard to get through, the key is that we can get through them and we should still love our relationship partner anyway. In a couple words Elias’ verse says “best friends can turn into strangers”.

This EP is an amazing effort from everyone involved in this EP, Change’s lyrics are easy to relate to. Anno Domini’s production is top notch and we even get guest appearances from Praverb, Elias and a Mouf (sorry I refuse to call him Mouth) Warren beat on the last track which also features DeepSpace5 members Sintax and ManChild. The EP is great and should be downloaded by ALL Christian Hip Hop fans, now if only we can get Change to release a full LP.

The Good

The dark production works well with the dark realistic lyrics of Change
Change is the master of relating to the listener and it shows on this EP
One Word FREE!!!
“Not A Stranger feat. Elias= EPIC!!!”

The Bad

“Stick Up”

Rating: 4.5/5 (So Close To A Classic)

If You Can’t Buy The Album Download These Songs

Uhh…hello people the album is FREE!!!

So Cas Finally Let Me Into The Guest Room (Guest Room Review)

In 2003 The Tunnel Rats released Underground Rise: Sunrise/Sunset with quite possibly the most guest appearances on a Christian Hip Hop album ever. Now six years later Cas Metah has released Guest Room with over 40 guest appearances from artists all over the Christian Hip Hop world, East Coast, West Coast and everything in between, Cas even brings some underground artists from the OH10 to join the party. Guest appearances from members of the Tunnel Rats, DeepSpace5, The Remnant, The Scribbling Idiots, Lightheaded, Future Shock and other artists. Production is also done from all whole spectrum of producers, Dust, Playdough, Vintage, Theory Hazit, Dert and once again many others. So Cas brought the guest appearances (which is a plus in my book) but do these guests deliver on this album?

So after listening to a message from Playdough (where Play-Doug-H calls Cas out on his “frail” body) we are introduced to the first track on the album “I Strain” featuring Cas Metah’s partner in crime JustMe and an appearance from the Cunninlynguists. The track at least in my eyes is about how we have to struggle to accomplish the things we want to in life. JustMe handles a verse and the hook on the track, but most importantly the production is solid on this track (and most of the album for the most part).

The track “Front Runner” is the first out of three tracks that has a whole slew of guest appearances from all over the Christian Hip Hop world. “Front Runner” features Ahred, Sojourn, Ajax Starglider (Future Shock), Sintax The Terrific (DeepSpace5), Sev Statik (DeepSpace5/Tunnel Rats), Griffin (Tunnel Rats) and JustMe (Scribbling Idiots). It’s basically the mainstream rap beat down track and I love it, Griffin’s verse is my favorite verse on that track where he acts as a tour guide and mentor for those who want to be “Front Runners”:

“So you want to be Front Runner huh, be a vicious contender
My name is Griff, let me aid you in your business venture
Any rumor you heard about it is nonsense
Acquiring the title is a serious process”

The “Told You So (remix)” is produced by Theory Hazit and features Masta Ace (who was on the “Told You So” original which is on The Have Nots), JustMe and we also get a verse from Theory Hazit. This is one of my favorite tracks from the album, it’s pretty much a battle rap track and all the emcees kill their verse. Theory lets you know “that there’s no punk in my DNA”, Masta Ace that even though “I’m old in age I control the stage” and Cas Metah has one of my favorite lines on this album “Now I’m rocking on the stage, already waiting for haters to fall in line…got them mad at Cas for collaborating with greatest of all time”. After listening to the entire album (Because I was so happy just to have the album) I went back and listened to this (and a couple other songs numerous times….after finally moving on to listen to JustMe’s Before The Twilight)

Since there space constraints with this I have to skip a couple of memorable songs on this album (“Real feat. Mouf Warren and Holmskillet”, “Rhyme Life feat. Listener and Ruffian”, “Die Trying feat. Chapter 13”, “Find Time feat. BC and Playdough) which brings us to “2nd Second (see what he did with the title HA!)” this features Every Day Martyrs (Griffin and Mouf Warren) and Deuce Complex (who I’m not exactly familiar with, but I do know him and Cas made a mixtape a while ago). I can’t remember who produced the beat but the beat has kind of a dark feel to it. I love the hook that Cas used for this song it fits the beat perfectly.

Hopefully by now you’ve been convinced that this album is worth buying, but if you haven’t been convinced yet, the track “Don’t Doubt” featuring Theory Hazit, Wonder Brown, K-Drama, Kaz, Mouf Warren, Griffin and Intellect who all happen to be emcees from OHIO. I love this track, but my opinion is somewhat bias since I live in Twinsburg, Ohio but the production is also solid. This song is all about Ohio Pride and is just a fun track to listen to production and the lyrics are solid.

Guest Room is the Christian Hip Hop catalog that people that are on the fence about whether or not they should listen to Christian Hip Hop need to listen to. I highly doubt that anyone will be able to top the number of guest appearances on this album and it was nice to hear different voices from all over the Christian Hip Hop world. Go pick up Guest Room LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!!!

The Good

OVER 40 GUESTS!!!
Production from all types of producers
Memorable verses from just about every song on this album
The Bonus Track!!!
The beats from Theory Hazit (“Told You So”) and Muneshine (“Laying the Foundation)

The Bad

The album kind of loses steam towards the end of the album

Rating: 4.5/5 (ALMOST CLASSIC GET THE ALBUM KIDS!!!)

If You Can’t Buy The Album (and you better) Download These Songs

Told You So (remix) feat. Theory Hazit, Masta Ace and JustMe produced by Theory Hazit
Real feat. Mouf Warren and Holmskillet produced by Vintage
Laying the Foundation feat. Lightheaded produced by Muneshine
Don’t Doubt feat. Theory Hazit, Wonder Brown, K-Drama, Kaz, Griffin, Mouf Warren, Intellect
2nd Second feat. EDM and Deuce Complex

JustMe and Commissioner Gordon Do Work Before The Twilight (Before The Twilight Review)

JustMe, a Tunnel Rat, a Solseeker and now he’s a Scribbling Idiot, he’s released numerous projects as part of groups and has a solid solo career. In 2004 JustMe released his first solo EP Brutally Honest and in 2006 he released his first solo LP One Man’s Trash (one of my favorite albums by the way). Now in 2009 JustMe has released Before The Twilight which is entirely produced by Commissioner Gordon who produced one of my favorite tracks (“Friendly Reminder) off of JustMe and Cas Metah’s album JustMe and Cas Metah are Unemployed. So can JustMe keep up his solid track record with his latest release Before The Twilight?

Upon looking at the track listing of Before The Twilight at first I was kind of bummed because there weren’t many guest appearances on the album, one from the Scribbling Idiots (which I’ll get to in a minute), one from Theory Hazit, one from Cas Metah and Ruffian, one from Wonder Brown, one from singers Lauren Lynn and Mira Beth. “Kentucky Chrome” was supposed to feature The Scribbling Idiots crew unfortunately I believe that SI is only heard in the hook (if that). So that was kind of a bummer.

Now this album is 46 minutes long, it took me over six hours to listen to this album because of one song “Open Your Eyes” which features SI member Wonder Brown. I played this song back so many times it was ridiculous, I listened to the track for about an hour at home, another half hour on the way to the park, about an hour while jogging through the park and pretty much for the rest of the night. “Open Your Eyes” is just as the title suggests sometimes when we blind ourselves from God we miss out on so awesome things that God had planned for us. Wonder Brown brings his experience from his Kings of Tragedy album and brings it to this track. Now when I first hard Wonder Brown (I mean like hard-core sing) I thought “Oh boy I’m not sure if he should be doing that” but as I listened more and more I learned Wonder Brown is pretty good singer and it is showcased on this track. It’s easily my favorite track on the album and possibly my favorite JustMe track ever (with “All Works Together” being tied with it). Production has a very “happy” feel to it Commissioner Gordon once again creates a classic with “Open Your Eyes”

Like I mentioned earlier there aren’t too many guest appearances and while I was bummed at first when I listened to the tracks I realized that JustMe can hold down the mic by himself very well. “Dues and Don’ts” is where JustMe uncovers his entire history of rapping from when he was a Tunnel Rat to now as one of the founders of The Scribbling Idiots Crew. It’s a great track to listen if you’re wondering where JustMe started off and his continued progress as an emcee.

JustMe continues owning the mic on his own by obliterating the next track “Third Round K.O” which judging by my first listen is him putting his wife on blast, but you realize he loves his wife and his son. The track covers the natural life changing event that is marriage the ups, the downs and everything in between, but at the end of the day you should be happy being with the person that you married and it should be a blast (or I could be completely wrong since I’m only 18 and haven’t even had a girlfriend yet….).
JustMe continues to impress with his talented lyrics, but Commissioner Gordon brings this album pretty close to classic status and should be picked up by every JustMe, SI or hip hop fan in general (cough…along with Cas Metah’s Guest Room…cough). Production by Commissioner Gordon along with JustMe’s meaningful lyrics make this a must buy…….so stop reading the review go buy the album!!!!!

The Good

JustMe and Commissioner Gordon are a very talented duo with good lyrics to compliment good beats
Tracks where JustMe handles the mike alone are great
“OPEN YOUR EYES” FEAT. WONDER BROWN
Song topics hit home

The Bad

The Scribbling Idiots feature track doesn’t exactly feature verses from the SI crew

Rating: 4.5/5 (PRETTY CLOSE TO CLASSIC/ BUY IT!!!!)

If You Can’t Buy The Album Download These Songs

Open Your Eyes feat. Wonder Brown
Twilight
A Curse & A Blessing
Dues and Don’ts
Third Round K.O

Failing A Class? Take Theory Hazit’s Extra Credit

  Theory Hazit has been on the top of his game for some time now, releasing Lord Fire last summer and releasing Modern Marvels this summer, how did this all start. Theory has released instrumentals, remix albums, mixtapes, but his first solo release was under the HipHop Is Music record label. Extra Credit was released in 2007 and it’s weird I’m just now reviewing it because I’ve had for about a year and a half now. When I first heard Theory Hazit two summers ago, I wasn’t the biggest fan, but once I heard him on Surreal’s Future Classic album I was sold and wanted to hear more from him. After that I picked his mixtape The Special Education of Theory Hazit and his talented shined on that mixtape, so I went and picked up Extra Credit. It has been on my Zune for a long time and I listened to about half the album and always skipped through the rest. It wasn’t until yesterday (when I was forced to do some yard work) that I went through the whole Extra Credit album from Track 1 to Track 15. The result…well read the review!
From the start of Extra Credit you already know you’re about to listen to an amazing album. Production on this album is done by many, Kero One, Tony Stone, Vintage and a bunch of others. After the first two tracks (“Lesson In Power” and “Gossip Synopsis”) comes Mrs. Hazit, which can be interpreted three different ways. It’s either about Theory’s wife, Theory’s ideal woman, or none of the above and I have no idea what I’m talking about. The beat contains piano in the background making one of my favorites on the album.
The first single released of the album “I Just Wanna Go Home” is an open book to Theory’s life before he found Christ. Honestly, I love this song because I can strongly relate to it. I too have a past that I’m not exactly proud of, but like Theory Christ found us and us on the right track. Theory’s future partner in crime Vintage produced this track and two others on this album. This is why Theory is one of my favorite artist because he isn’t afraid to talk about his past experiences to show that anybody can change with the Power of Christ.
“Dumb Dunces” is a somewhat funny track with a strong underlying message and a guest appearance from Cincinnati’s own K-Drama. The message at least from what I understand, is “hey, guess what we go school to learn, so quit goofing off and get down to business so you can make a future for yourself”. The beat is actually includes a sample from Scooby-Doo with a hip hop touch to it and it works (Theory actually did the same thing with the “Herman Munster” track by Phonetic Composition, he used a sample from The Munsters theme song).
Theory’s from the heart lyrics continue on “Hello Kiddiez” which wasn’t my favorite track of the album until I listened to it yesterday. The beat has a passionate feel to it and once again you get an insight to Theory’s life. “Hello Kiddiez” is a track where Theory shouts out to his kids and kids he has an impact on that he considers “his sons”. Here’s what I mean:

“…At first you showing signs of fear
And I wanted to beat the fear outta you
You are my son even though I’m not your real dad
Anything in life that you want I’ll help you get that
Just remember to stay focus and praise Jehovah
And play the game till game’s over I ain’ jokin’
Never give up, never give in especially
when it doesn’t look like you’ll goin’ win
See this is comin’ from a friend of a friend
Don’t be afraid to speak up and if I taught
You anything yo I taught you Jesus”

I really wish I had enough page space to tell about all the songs that I love on this album, but I’m already over the page limit. In fact in a perfect world I’d cover 5 of the last 6 songs on the album…anyway I’m digressing. “After School Special” is the “loaded” guest appearance track featuring JustMe and Sojourn, it’s pretty much a battle rap track that is quite entertaining. “IOU” is right after that and features the founder of the HipHop Is Music Braille. Theory raps apologies to people he knows he’s hurt and been a bad example to. It’s another lyrically meaningful track on this album.
So if you haven’t noticed this album amazing and a classic that should be in every hip hop owner’s collection it’s that good. Lyrically Theory holds nothing back and lets the listener inside his whole world. Now this album isn’t as good as Lord Fire but the volume is actually perfect. Basically if you like music pick up Theory Hazit’s Extra Credit and go pick up Modern Marvels this summer. It should be interesting to see if Theory can keep up this string of classic albums.

Good

Everything about this album

Theory doesn’t hold back on this album at all

Beats are hot! (with production Vintage, Tony Stone and others)

Bad

Nothing!

Rating: 5/5 (CLASSIC GO PICK IT UP IF YOU LIKE MUSIC!!!)

If You Can’t Buy The Album Pick Up These Songs

Hello Kiddiez
IOU feat. Braille
Decisions feat. Sivion and Holmskillet produced by Vintage
After School Special feat. JustMe and Sojourn
I Just Wanna Go Home produced by Vintage

Sean P (of Bone Circus and Move Merchants) Interview

 Sean P thanks for swinging by

BigSto: So for the people that don’t know who Sean P is give them some background on yourself and how you got into rapping and making beats.

Sean P:  Well…I started off rapping like everyone else…just being a kid and having fun with friends, then it crept into my notebooks in my alone time. But, I really started performing music as a scratch deejay right out of high school. Later I joined BC (Bone Circus) as a deejay then started making beats out of necessity so we could record original music. We recorded the first BC record with Blake Knight and Playdough. Playdough liked one of the beats on my beat CD and recorded “Ghetto Blaster” which was on Don’t Drink the Water. That’s kinda how I got in the loop.

BigSto: Theory Hazit & Vintage, Surreal & DJ Balance, Braille & S1, are all talented dynamic duos, what makes you and ManChild the next one?

Sean P: Wow. Those guys are really good. I feel like I’m on a job interview.

Hopefully we remind people of why they like Hip-Hop. And, I think that will make us stand out. Also, Manchild brings a unique spiritual fare that we hope will reach out to a somewhat untouched audience.

BigSto: Now I know when I heard about this collab project, I was psyched and surprised, I never saw this coming…how did the two of you get together to make this album?

Sean P:  It came about through the website Phatmass.com. The brains behind phatmass had been working with Manchild for several years. And, I also have had the pleasure of building a friendship with Dustin and the phatmass family for almost the same amount of time. When it came time for the Manchild project with Phatmass, he wanted just one producer to work with. So, they reached out to me. I met Manchild in about ‘02 when we shared the stage together in Tennessee. And, he dropped a verse on [BC's] FrameWork. So, we had a little history behind us.

BigSto: Obviously you’ve been able to work with ManChild tell us what it’s like working with him?

Sean P:  He’s a hardworking dude. He writes quickly with consistence and compassion. No nonsense. Low maintenance. And, he’s allowed me to be creative with what he’s given me. He’s dope.

BigSto:  You guys have taken a big step from a fans standpoint by including the instrumentals, what was the motivation behind it and give us a little insight into the sound of the album.

Sean P: We wanted to include the beats as an incentive to buy the record. Also, nowadays everyone is a deejay/rapper/beat-fanatic, so why not.

As for the sound of the album…it has a variety of sounds: party jams, thinkers, neck-snappers. Overall, we hope to give y’all the essence of Hip-Hop. You’re gonna hear hard-beats, scratches and raw raps. The beats are sample-based. So, it’s not in the vain of my solo Stiles for Miles, which has a more atmospheric vibe. It definitely has a rawer, thicker sound. And, the kicks are heavy, so tie your trunk down cause the subs are gonna bang!

BigSto:  Another question about the production, what influences (whether it’s spiritual/other artists/or music) the music you make?

I’m heavy influenced by other beat-makers. You can hear it in the base-lines. You’ll hear it in the chops, filters and snares. I mean, it’s been passed down to all heads who make beats.

So, aside from the traditions of Hip-Hop, my biggest influence is my mood. That determines the sound that comes out in the beats. That determines how I’m going to treat the sample or what instrument I will attempt to play. You know, it’s an art. So, sometimes I’m trying out new techniques while other times I’m blacked out, in a zone and time flies at the speed of God.

BigSto:  So besides making hot beats for artists what else does Sean P do in his downtime?

Well, I’m lucky enough to deejay for another awesome emcee named Playdough. So, I do shows scratching and occasionally mixing. If I don’t have many show lined up, I like to just kick it with a good friend. But, for the most part I’m a family man. I have a beautiful wife, a son, and a new daughter. My son and I like to skateboard and play ball in the house…you know…bring da rawkus!

BigSto:  Now that the Move Merchants album is finished what next for Sean P? And could we possibly see you and ManChild make another album together?

I’m always working on some kind of music, so there is always a possibility for another solo record. And, I get down with other artist, so you’ll be hearing my cuts and beats on different project in the future. Shout to The Naturalist, Heath McNease, MDA…among others. Look out for Playdough’s new one; hopefully you’ll hear me on there.

As for another Move Merchants record…we’ll have to wait and see. If this one catches on then that gives us less reasons not to.

BigSto: Ok Sean P, thank you so much for stopping by, anything else you’d like to say to your fans before you go?

Sean P: Fans? I really appreciate those of you that listen! Thanks so much for this interview Sto!

End Interview

Christian Hip Hop Podcast #28 “The Guest Room”

In honor of Cas Metah’s new album Guest Room I’ve compiled some of my favorite guest appearances and put them together to make one of the longer podcasts I’ve done almost 2 hours long! Features artists from all over the Christian Hip Hop spectrum, 2mex, Mouf Warren, The Strange Fruit Project, K-Drama, Cash Hollistah and so many more! So take a listen and go get CAS METAH’S GUEST ROOM ALBUM!!!

Download Here

Live As It Gets feat. Theory Hazit and Playdough (Move Merchants)- Move Merchants

Planes and Trains feat. Pigeon John and Blueprint (Mars ILL)- Backbreakanomics

Falcon Plume feat. Scribbling Idiots (Sintax)- Curb Appeal

Def Tole feat. Theory Hazit, Cas Metah, Kas (EDM)- Def Defying Mixtape

Down But Never Out feat. Sev Statik, Manchild, Sintax, Illtripp and Listener (Sivion)- Mood Enhancement

Season of Tears feat. Zane and Elsie (Sev Statik)- Speak Life

I Wouldn’t Do It feat. Big Rec, Surreal, Sivion, Theory Hazit (Braille)- Box of Rhymes

Seasons Change feat. Mouf Warren and Ruffian (Cas Metah)- Providence Road

We Got It feat. Sojourn, Sivion and Theory Hazit produced by Ohmega Watts (Sharlok Poems)- Blooming Sounds

Let Go feat. Supastition and The Masterminds (Braille)- Shades of Grey

You Don’t Want That feat. ManChild, Playdough, Jurny Big, Macho and Raphi (The Tunnel Rats)- Underground Rise: Sunset/Sunrise

Let Me feat. Phat K.A.T.S, Freddie Bruno and Playdough (Sivion)- Mood Enchancement

Let Go feat. Bracey, Dre Murray, Jacob Izrael, and R-Swift (K-Drama)- Boombapitism

Heart and Soul feat. Lyriz and MotionPlus (Cas Metah)- Providence Road

Nobody Say feat. Raphi and Braille (Theory Hazit)- Lord Fire produced by Vintage

The Treatment feat. ManChild, Braille and Big Rec (Ohmega Watts)- The Find

Surprise Cypher (remix) feat. Adam L, Surreal, Sivion, Sojourn and Sharlok Poems (Lightheaded)- Wrong Way

Posse on Burnside feat. Ethic and Othello (Acts 29)- Underexposed

No 2 Ways feat. Triune, MotionPlus, Cas Metah, Griffin and Relic (Sev Statik)- Back to Dust produced by DJ Dust

Killin It feat. OneLife, Cash Hollistah and Big Rec (Scribbling Idiots)- Idiomatic Mixtape Volume I

Outro feat. Red Cloud, Sojourn, John Reuben, Pigeon John and ManChild (Lightheaded)- Pure Thoughts

Remember The Day feat. Dax, 2mex, Neogen, Dert, Big Rec, Mouf Warren, Dokument, Chosen 1, Griffin, Lazarus, Raphi, Drastic, Propaganda and Macho (The Tunnel Rats)- Underground Rise: Sunset/Sunrise

Low Budget feat. Rush, Cas Metah, MotionPlus (JustMe)- One Man’s Trash

My Suitcase feat. Sojourn and JustMe (Ajax Starglider)- Middle Class Broadcast

Just Raps feat. Future Shock and Scribbling Idiots (JustMe)- One Man’s Trash

Broken Heart feat. The Strange Fruit Project, Ragen Fykes, Thesis (Braille)- Cloud Nineteen produced by S1

Freaky Flow feat. L.A Symphony (Flynn)- In Like Flynn

Get Ignorant (remix) feat. Braille, Theory Hazit, Sev Statik, Nomis, R-Swift, Proph1 (The Breax)-Restocked

Othello Is More Than Alive At The Assembly Line

So in the past I’ve been pretty down on Othello’s solo career. In my eyes Othello’s debut album Elevator Music wasn’t a step in the right direction for the artist. And I based my opinion of Othello based on that album. I still love Othello as an artist (especially his guest appearances) I just wasn’t feelin’ the production for the most part. However it is my pleasure to say that Alive at the Assembly Line is a very creative album that has a sound I’ve never heard before. So let’s get live and jump in line.

Usually when I listen to an album (a HHH album to be exact) I usually feel the need to some introspection or I feel motivated to try something I was scared of before listening to the album. After listening to Othello’s sophomore album Alive At the Assembly I felt happy (sounds weird) but I just felt happy to be alive the sounds and production behind this album are genius. Elevator Music was more hip hop with a touch of jazz, which in my opinion didn’t work. So Othello switched it, Alive At the Assembly Line is mostly jazz with a touch of hip hop and works like a well-oiled machine.

Othello takes what worked on Elevator Music (with the mostly hip hop and some jazz) and then implicated his own sound in to the rest of the album. “Let’s Just” the single off the album (which he also made a music video for) is the example of the more hip hop and less jazz that works. It’s energetic track that said “hey love life and relax”.

“Place to be” and “Alive at the Assembly Line” is where the new sound comes in and it is amazing. The sound reminds me of going to an old school jazz club and having Othello step up and come with the rhymes. It’s a combo that works and a combo I’ve never heard before. The title track of the album features Tunnel Rat member Propaganda and Lifesavas member Vursatyl. What makes the track pleasing to the ear is the piano playing in the background, Jazz fans will love this track.

The next track “Cycle” features Surreal and shows the lyricism that both emcees have. The song is as the title states, for the most part life is a “Cycle” and it’s God that carries us through this “Cycle” and though it repeats we should enjoy it. Another unique characteristic this album contains is the instrumental segments there in between verses, or when the song ends you get a good minute, minute and a half to enjoy the sounds you just heard, it’s those instrumental pieces that have me asking for an instrumental version of this album. The best example of this is “Peripheral Drift” you get a solid 3-4 minutes of pleasant sounding jazz instrumentals. I found myself playing back those instrumentals numerous times.

The track “Shallow” also shows the lyricism talent of Othello, him and Pigeon John of L.A Symphony (who is featured on the track) cover the shallowness of people when it comes to relationships. Whether it’s shallow based upon looks, shallow based upon money, shallow relationships equals not good (that’s shallow=NG). The way Pigeon John handles this track does so well it’s like if any other emcee was on the track it wouldn’t have been as good.

Othello finishes the album with his Lightheaded brothers doing the track “Fly”. Othello’s sophomore effort is a about 20 steps in the right direction. Othello took a very creative approach to this album, this album is for hip hop heads, but I believe Jazz fans would love this album too. Othello has a new project (with DJ Vajra) coming out soon and I’m very excited to see what Othello does with this next release.

Good

A very creative album
The idea of more jazz and less hip hop WORKS WELL!
The minutes of instrumental rock
Production is Great!

Bad

Lacks a little bit of energy (but take that with a grain of salt because Jazz doesn’t always have energy…no I’m not dissing Jazz)

Rating: 4/5 (Jazz and Hip Hop=WIN!/Creative Album!)

If You Can’t Buy The Album Download These Songs

Shallow feat. Pigeon John
Fly feat. Lightheaded
Peripheral Drift
Place to Be
Shoot Past