August 26, 2008 | Tags: none

Name: Niles (formerly known as Alias, as previously blogged)
Where He's At: New York, NY by way of Lansing, MI
Credentials: Signed to KOCH Records after winning a talent search contest with Hot 97; performed in NY's Summer Jam; a commercial in BET's "You(th) Vote" campaign; won several battle contests; a possible placement on a mixtape by a notable New York DJ
Ketchums' Cosign: Niles' song concepts are just as potent as his combative rhymes. He's opinionated on today's state of hip-hop, but his deadly arsenal of flawless technique, a passionate flow, vivid storytelling skills and punchline prowess to boot lets you know where he's coming from - and more importantly, where he's taking it.
Product: His debut mixtape, that sees him reworking classic beats like Outkast's "Wheelz of Steel," Jay-Z's "A Week Ago," and others, hits soon, and his debut, To Remain..., comes later.
Web: MySpace.com/1Alias (Check "Rhythm In My Soul" and "Dreamin;" both are undeniable)

Me: Within your first two years of being in NY, you've really made a lot happen in a short amount of time: you won the Hot 97 joint, you got a deal with KOCH, you performed at Summer Jam, you're on a BET commercial...what's it like for everything to be moving so fast for you?

Niles: This is just proof that God moves. I knew that if I put all of my faith in him and just put everything out there, then I would succeed. But to be honest with you, it all felt like a blur. I don't dwell on anything that I've accomplished because I know that it is so much more to do. That type of mindstate keeps me focused and grounded. When I first moved to NYC, I just made an oath to completely tear down what ever I was a part of. It is all about impression and the memory that you leave in the audiences minds. My love and passion and conviction for the art has really enabled me to exude it %100 in performances. The Hot 97/Koch talent search was a life story all in its self. I was broke with $20 to my name when I got there. I didn't know it was going to cost $20 to be in it. When they announced it while I was in line, I prayed very deeply. Because there was hundreds of people in that line and I needed to stretch that $20 out to last me. But the father told me to enter it. I entered it and ended up winning. I got interviewed by Miss Jones the day after. It felt like a dream blur. Summer Jam was incredible. I performed my up and coming single for the crowd and they excepted it with opening arms. It felt extra live because that song is really a part of me. It talks about my ups and downs during the dreamchase, and I know everybody will be able to relate to it. The BET commercial was just me speaking my mind on the political race and how I feel that Barack Obama is qualified to be the next President of the US.

This whole experience has been live, but it has been balanced out with overcomings and tests and with that balance, it keeps my head leveled out. I enjoy the blue skies and the rain, that's the balance of life. But this is only the beginning of great things to come.

Niles, "Endure"

Niles, "Jessica James"

Me: You're using a lot of older beats on the mixtape. What made you take that approach?

Niles: It's wild because I never pictured myself making a mixtape because everybody does it. But I figured if I did it in a way that was special and intricate to me, then that magic will reflect in the listener appreciating it for the art that it is. These are beats from tracks that have stuck with me ever since I first heard them. These are clear, shining polished classics that take me back to fly memories of my childhood and adolescent years in highschool. This mixtape is like taking a journey to my past. I wanted to make jawns to tracks that people remember, but they would least expect to hear an mc use. I have never released anything officially as an ep, lp, or mixtape, so this is extra extra special to me. I took time out to craft and sculpt every song to it's highest ability. Plus, to be able to express my inner most thoughts and views over these classic cuts is beyond me. I just can't wait to release it out there to the galaxy.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Man, Phuck R. Kelly.

August 11, 2008 | Tags: none

Man, fuck R. Kelly.

I've been on my anti-Kels tip for a while, now. Much of it, naturally, was based on his entire court case. Urinating on underage girls isn't a good look, and then blaming your brother for it in the meanwhile is even worse. I'm not saying I'm the most morally sound person, ‘cause I've done my share of things I regret, but certain shit you just don't do © Mos Def. The case's results from a month or so made me hate him even more: the fact that he could actually postpone that case for five years and get acquitted got me pissed (no pun intended) not only about how shady he was, but at the justice system in general. i.e., Somebody who wasn't a wealthy, multiplatinum-selling R&B superstar wouldn't have been able to postpone his case for five years to desensitize everyone involved, gather extra evidence for their case and get off of the hook Starting then, I made another vow to further boycott R. Kelly's music.

And he hasn't made doing so very difficult. Chocolate Factory was incredible, but after that, Kels released shitstain after shitstain. He's the only musician I know of to put out a double album on which both CDs were wack with Happy People/U Saved Me; imagine the excitement and subsequential sadness after I received that album free in the mail. SMH. Follow that up with a largely unlistenable continuation to the 12 Play trilogy (TP3: Reloaded, although "Remote Control" was my ish), a contrived attempt to return to the "R&B Thug shtick" (Double Up), and you've got a garbo latter half of a career. And that's not even including two albums with Jay-Z (possibly the biggest urban music disappointments of my lifetime). As if his cameos outside of Swizz Beatz' "It's Me Bitches" remix (which only thrived off of comedy) weren't enough, his guest spot on Raheem DeVaughn's "Customer" remix was the nail in the coffin. "If you're thirsty, I'll give you that good lemonade"? Word, Kels? I thought you already did that. And it's not music-related, but the picture with this post doesn't help, either.

But now, he's got a new leak out there (again, no pun intended) called 12 Play: Fourth Quarter. The first song, "Wanna Make A Baby," has got me pretty pissed: it's a perfect R. Kelly record. His vocals are perfect, the instrumental is vintage Kels, it's written with a simplicity that's complex, it's got the right dose of comedy ("I'ma set that ass on fire"), and the chord transitions are flawless. This is essentially a TP-2 song, and that's one of his best albums. The rest of the bootleg has some definite hits ("Whole Lotta Kisses," "Go Low") and some atrocious misses ("Hair Braider"), but it's actually upsetting to me that he's still capable of making great music. Now, it'll actually take work to not listen to something from his post-statutory catalog.

Gotta stay strong, though. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. It‘s all good; Avant and Jaheim do half-decent (if not accurate) impersonations, and as far as I know, they're not fucking over the law and prepubescent girls.

P.S.: I left Blogger, and set up shop on Wordpress. Check me out by clicking by visiting http://ketchums.wordpress.com, or by clicking on the banner below. P.S.S.: The banner is another Smack! production.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Jay-Z, "Dope Boy Fresh" (prod. Kanye West)

August 07, 2008 | Tags: none

BLUEPRINT 3 from kwest on Vimeo.

Audio: http://www.zshare.net/audio/16658598199f8385/

"Chill baby girl, my girl is here!"

How people can still front on Jay, I don't understand. He never falls off for more than one album, and even if one album isn't as dope as the others, he's always good for some heaters. *BTW, Kingdom Come = most underrated album of his career, after Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It wasn't what we were used to production-wise, and his delivery was rusty at a few points, but songs like the "Prelude," "Lost Ones," "Trouble" and "Minority Report" are just as good as anything he's ever done.* Dude's flow is still one of the best in the game (right after youngsters like Ludacris, Lil Wayne and T.I.), and his lyrics continuously cause double-takes ("black Maybach, black seats, white piping/remind me when Paul McCartney and Mike fightin'"). He's no B.I.G. and Pac, but he's close/how's he supposed to win, when you've got him fighting ghosts? I know I go ape shit whenever new Jay shit comes out anyway, but dude's just undeniable to me.

*Audio/Video swagger jacked from NahRight.

P.S.: There's more actual writing on the way, don't worry. Working on a lengthy article right now, but I've got ideas in the vault.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

Y'all Really, Really Need To Hear This Pt. 4: Big Sean (G.O.O.D. Music)

August 05, 2008 | Tags: Kanye, freestyle, Detroit, big sean, Supa Dupa

I am a supa, dupa, trooper
Used to the bottom, scuba
So I’m on the grind, skateboard or scooter
Till I am the king of my castle, koopa
Dog I took a shot in the dark, in an industry of sharks
That’s surrounded by water—Cuba
I can make an Einstein’s mind feel stupor
And I can make an insecure bitch feel super
Realest nigga ever—Kunta, Kinte
Ultra, master. Super, sensei
Dog, in the 9th inning we jus tryna hit a homer
Marge, comprende? Hard, al dente
MJ. Jordan [1] or Jackson? Only difference is, I ain’t fuckin wit these kids
Sean, Big, a problem too big, trig
You niggas ain’t shit, pissed. Tsk, tsk :-\

Credits
Big Sean
"Supa Dupa" *mpFree via Big Sean's MySpace page (MySpace.com/UKnowBigSean)*
The Burn Rubber Mixtape [For more songs, click here]

P.S.: Download Big Sean's mixtape, Finally Famous, here. The original Big Sean (and longtime homie), Smack!, drew and designed the back cover of it. This cat's also got two comic strips that he runs, and this is the first of many covers to come, so click this link and pay attention.

--
[1] Shirt coming soon to DSE @ Grand

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

It Was All A Dream: Air ?uesto's Edition

August 01, 2008 | Tags: none

Earlier this week, I got the terrible news that Burn Rubber, the best sneaker shop in Michigan, won't have the my size of the Air Questo's that I've been looking forward to wasting my money on. I know, they're tacky anyway; but they're a good tacky. I know, they're hard to match up with; but I don't care. I know, they cost way too much money; but I would've made the sacrifice. Granted, I shouldn't be upset about something I didn't already have, but as I've blogged before, I just keep having the worst luck with this dude.

I dreamt that I was at some nondescript industry event, and that I befriended ?uestlove, who was chillin' at the bar drinking a vitamin water. I casually introduced myself by name, and he tells me that he knows who I am. That he read my blog about how I've missed several photo opps with him because of drunken YTs, fuckhead journalists, and crackheads-turned-parking lot coordinators, and that I missed the golden opportunity to interview him because of this shady broad at MSU's financial aid office. We chop it up for about 15 minutes about Dilla, Detroit, and other shit that real Untitleds talk about. I let him know that I planned on copping his shoes no matter how hard they'd be to match, but that circumstances prevented such.

Then, with the exact same pose and smile as he does in this picture, he gave me two pair of the ?uesto's: the "regular" pair, and the special edition gold toe pair.

I got him to sign the red-toed pair, thanked him profusely, gave him a pound and kept it moving. Real, of course, recognizes real.

The dream wasn't very linear after that; just random anecdotes with a Maybach and Kerry Washington, with the beats for Elzhi's "Guessing Game," "Yeah" and "Hands Up" playing in the background. But I swear, the entire mood of the dream was incredibly satisfying after that.

Then I get woken up from my brother, who had my homegirl on the phone who had asked to wake me up. Naturally, she had absolutely nothing to talk about. Hence, being awakened from my much-needed rest and a dream during which I was literally on cloud nine, I went asshole on her. And only about half of my crabbiness was her fault.

*Sigh*

Maybe it's a sign from the sneaker gods that it wasn't meant to be. Oh well, though. MF DOOM Dunks, here I come!

P.S.: Pause at "dreaming about ?uestlove," but just look at it as dreaming about really chopping it up with one of your idols.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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Blogs

Speech Is My Hammer...

Y'all Really, Really Need To Hear This Pt. 5: Niles (KOCH Records)

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Man, Phuck R. Kelly.

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Jay-Z, "Dope Boy Fresh" (prod. Kanye West)

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Y'all Really, Really Need To Hear This Pt. 4: Big Sean (G.O.O.D. Music)

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It Was All A Dream: Air ?uesto's Edition

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