That’s right this podcast is uber important (see you can tell it’s important because I used uber). New music from Braille, Theory Hazit and DeepSpace5. New music to the podcast from Future Shock, MuzeOne, Propaganda and others. This podcast is so important I’m leaving the track listing off just to surprise you guys!

Download Now!!!

What’s up guys I apologize for updating the blog over the past couple of months. I’m a freshman in college now and I moved in my dorm at Ohio University in September and I just got home last Sunday. I’m off from school till January 3rd so this gives me time to commit more time to the blog. If all goes well I have a lot planned for the blog some I can’t tell you about yet, but stay tuned.

The second order of business is that after my first quarter of college I’m gonna need help next quarter with maintaining the blog. So if anyone would like to help with reviews just write them up and email them to me at ms209531@gmail.com I’ll go over it and post it on the blog. Make sure if you submit a review leave your name (so I can give you credit for the review).

And here is what I have slated for the blog (some of it anyway):

The Most Important Podcast (#36 and #38)- This will be a two part episode and features new music that got while I was at college. It features Future Shock, Scribbling Idiots, Illete the 7th Grader, Mars Ill, DeepSpace5 and others…..in other words DON’T MISS IT!!!

Man of the Hour Episodes- Sojourn and a TWO-PART Theory Hazit Man of the Hour featuring one episode of Theory’s production and another of his emceeing skills.

Theory and Toni Shift’s Modern Marvels Review- I should be ordering the album as I post this since it’s my birthday next Thursday and that’s gonna be my present. Make sure you go pre-order the album from sphereofhiphopstore.com and buy the Limited Edition. It comes with Modern Marvels, Lord Fire 2, the instrumental versions of both albums and a shirt courtesy of Illect Recordings all for $30. The deal is sick so go order now!

Look out also for my Christian Hip Hop Christmas List so ya’ll can get something special for your family hip hop heads and a look into 2010 and what albums are coming out and some rumors I’ve heard through the grapevine (aka Forums, emails etc.)

FREE STUFF- That’s right believe it or not this year has been a year of a lot of free stuff instrumentals, Lps, Eps from all kinds of artists and have a post that has all those links for you. Music from Cookbook, Harry Krum, Freddie Bruno, EDM, Strange Fruit Project, DeepSpace5, Alex Goose, Defender of the Art and others!

Reviews Coming Soon

DeepSpace5- 5Print Mixtape
D-Maub- The Follow Up EP
Mr. J Medieros- Friends Enemies Apples Apples
MuzeOne- The BackBurner EP
Strange Fruit Project- M.A.S.K
TheBreax- Restocked

Before I left for college in September I recorded three podcasts and didn’t have time to post them so here they are they feature, a podcast with New Releases from this year, a regular podcast and one featuring the L.A Symph Crew!!!

( #33 New Releases)

(#34)

(#35 L.A Symphony Group of the Hour)

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!!!

Click To Download

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

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

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

 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

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

Playdough, one of the Kings of the Background Vocals (I’ll explain about the Kings of the Background Voice later), member of Phonetic Composition, Ill Harmonics and the super crew DeepSpace5. In 2002 Playdough released his debut solo album Lonely Superstar. In DeepSpace5 Playdough knocks out his verses, so naturally his album would be amazing right? Right! Well…
I’ve listened to Lonely Superstar twice and here’s what I felt after I listened to the album both times…………………………nothing. Ok I didn’t feel nothing, I felt the beats were hit or miss, along with the lyrics. The good points were some of the beats were solid and the Playdough’s lyricism shows to a certain extent. One big negative was that Playdough only seemed to rhyme his best, when he has guest on with him. While it seems like I’m down on this (which I am…) there is also a good level of creativity with this album.
The first notable track on this album is “5 Cent Needleheads”. Basically your starving artists track, which are usually my favorite tracks on every album. The beat has the bass in the front, with the piano in the back. My favorite part of the track is at the end where shouts out to many of the starving emcees. LMNO, Sev Statik, Listener, Jurny Big, Sup the Chemist, Freddie Bruno, Beat Rabbi, Mars Ill, Illtripp, Sivion, LA Symphony, Sintax, MG! The Visionary, John Reuben and DJ Manwell? And at the end Playdough makes a cut with an artist (who’s name escapes me) that says “So I become content with being lonely cuz fools are phony”. It’s those little cuts at the end of some of the songs that leave the listener thinking, it’s actually a very good strategy to getting people to think about how their living their lives.
My favorite song on the album is “Freedom Fighters” which features Tunnel Rat and LPG member Jurny Big. I love guest appearances, but what I’m not a big fan of is when the guests’ verses overshadow the album artist. Lonely Superstar is a prime example of this, LMNO, Jurny Big, Joey the Jerk and some of the other guests on the album tend to overshadow Playdough. I’m not saying Playdough’s verses are bad, it’s just what I’m hearing from the guests sound better. At the end of “Freedom Fighters” Sivion gets a quick 16-bar verse with a beat produced by Playdough.
A track that screams introspection is the track “Simple 1” which I believe is a track that covers the simple truths of life that a lot of us overlook, because we look life in a too complex of life.
I apologize for this being a short review, but I’m kinda bad at writing reviews for albums I’m not really feeling. This album would’ve been perfect if Playdough came with the aggressive rhyme-style he uses is in DeepSpace5. If I had it my way I would’ve had Dust, Rabbi, Manwell?, Playdough and Fred B. to make the beats (ala DeepSpace5’s Bakesale) and have Playdough with the DS5 rhyme-style. A plus for the album is Playdough tries a lot of things and hard-core Playdough fans will be pleased with this album. Anyone expecting a DeepSpace5 sound to it will be somewhat disappointed in Lonely Superstar.

Good

Guests: LMNO, Jurny, J-Beits, Joey the Jerk, ManChild
Allows for some introspection
A very Creative album (the outros for certain tracks and Sivion’s 16 bar verse)

Bad

The production is only average
Playdough doesn’t bring the DeepSpace5 rhyme-style in this album
Guests tend to overshadow Playdough

Rating: 3/5 (Average/Fans of the Artist will enjoy it)

If You Can’t Buy The Album Buy These Songs

5 Cent Needleheads
Shadow Dance feat. LMNO
Lonely Superstar
Freedom Fighters feat. Jurny Big
Supreme Service feat. J-Beits and Joey the Jerk

 Sintax the Terrific has been around for quite a while and has established himself as the best Lawyer Rapper in the world. Sintax has two albums out his first being Simple Moves and his sophomore album being Curb Appeal. He is also part of the super group DeepSpace5 who has released four projects. And he’s done multiple guest appearances with artists, Mouf Warren, JustMe, Ajax Starglider and many others. Here’s a podcast dedicated to SINTAX THE TERRIFIC!!!

DOWNLOAD HERE!!!

Song-Artist (Album)

Curb Appeal- Sintax (Curb Appeal)

Ziontific- DeepSpace5 (A Night We Called It A Day)

Cruel Tutelage: An Unauthorized Biography- Sintax (Curb Appeal)

Sensational- Sintax (Simple Moves)

We Got To feat. Sintax and Sev Statik-DeepSpace5 (DeepSpace5oul)

Make Believe- Sintax (Curb Appeal)

They Say- DeepSpace5 (Unique Just Like Everyone Else)

Turnabout- Sintax (Simple Moves)

Park Bench feat. Sintax- DeepSpace5 (DeepSpace5oul)

Your Biggest Fan- DeepSpace5 (Unreleased)

Ur Everything feat. Sintax- Freddie Bruno (Hold Music)

Blowing Smoke- Sintax (Simple Moves)

Bi-Polaroid feat. Sintax- Ajax Starglider (Middle Class Broadcast)

One More- Sintax (Curb Appeal)

Chain Fight produced by Dust- DeepSpace5 (BakeSale)

Ad Infinitum feat. Freddie Bruno- Sintax (Simple Moves)