Russell Young Goes to Work

Russell Young is an independent/unsigned artist from Waynesboro, VA and who has only been at it for a year. Strong, witty, clever lyrics, draped over hard hitting southern and east coast beats, let Russell sound like a young LL Cool J if he were somehow caught in a wormhole and wound up in 2010.

Sure, he's influenced by east coast hip hop but at times his enunciation and flow just have that similarity to LL and you can't help but wonder at what point he's going to yell out, "I Can't Live Without My Radio." Russell is clearly on to something here and it really comes as no surprise that he was nominated the for "Best Underground Rap Artist" in the south at the "Underground Music Awards Show" in Manhattan New York in the summer of 2008.

Since then he's literally made his way up and down the eastern seaboard playing and rhyming where ever he could all in the hopes of getting his name out there. It's working and when you add in the fact that he's set a goal for himself to release at least two new singles every other month will go a long way to establishing himself as one of the busiest guys in indie hop.

He'll be dropping a mix tape this summer, but until then, check out a few tracks from his prolific work schedule and don't forget his name because the guy will be big.

Download: I Try

Download: Pusha Man

The Get Busy Committee

The group is Get Busy Committee and features names you may have heard before: Ryu (Styles of Beyond, Demigodz) and Apathy (Demigodz, Army of the Pharaohs). Tracks are produced by Apathy as well as super-producer Scoop Deville, known for his work recently with Snoop Dogg, The Game, Clipse, and many others. Scoop also lends his signature vocal swagger to many of the tracks on the band's debut album, Uzi Does It.

As for Uzi Does It, the album is being released on their very own, bizarrely named, record label, Tokyo Sex Whale Records. Ryu was once signed to Warner Brothers and Apathy to Atlantic. No offense to the A&R rep who thinks phrases like, "I think you should work on your skateboard skills" or "you should go to the gym so you can take your shirt off on stage" is career advice, but Get Busy Committee decided to eschew label interest this time around and go their own route. "We can fuck it up ourselves, thanks," they were heard to say. As a result, Uzi Does It is a 100% self-funded, self-released independent record which is available now.

Download: Left Behind
Download: Say Whaaat

Freeway Launches A Stimulus Package Of His Own

Freeway sets out to stimulate the Hip Hop industry by signing into law the Hip Hop Recovery and Reinvestment Act with the release of The Stimulus Package.

Produced entirely by veteran G-Unit producer Jake One, The Stimulus Package showcases some of Freeway’s most dynamic and engaging work to date. Since his breakout Roc-A-Fella debut Philadelphia Freeway in 2003, which achieved gold status, Freeway has been regarded as “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper”.

The collaboration of heavyweights Freeway & Jake One makes The Stimulus Package already one of the year’s most anticipated releases.

Download: Know What I Mean

Skipp Whitman's Tale Of The Tape

The latest from the POP! Stereo Treasure Trove, Skipp Whitman originally released his Clean Mixtape last year, after a bit of a brouhaha with the Richard Pryor estate. A year later and it's back and there's even more. Read on...

Skipp Whitman’s a Whiteboy. Born to artists. Raised at his father’s recording studio in Boston, at his mother’s art studio in Brookline, at his father’s recording studio in New York, at his mother’s art studio in Lincoln (a Boston suburb). Skipp was raised on weekend mornings in New England, on hardwood floors with a pet, a parent, and either Prince Records (at mom’s) or a vocorder/keyboard (at dad’s . . you know, ‘86).

Starting out in an upper-middle class town (namely, Brookline), Skipp was surrounded by the American Dream. His parents struggled, as most artists do. Fortunately, he learned early that in order to be an artist, you don’t have to be ‘starving.’ Fierce, stubborn, independent. Split-brained, impressed by a book he read in ’89 called TRUMP: THE ART OF THE DEAL all while nurturing a pre-teen love for something called Rap Music.

High School, Drugs, Peers, Beers, Athletically Declined, and a Gemini Sampler with the 8 second sample-loop option: Skipp wrote. Any four bar break to any rap song ever, turned very quickly into an instrumental. Skipp wrote. Freestyles, Battles, Respect, Fans, Response, Girls, Girls, Girls . . . . staying money-hungry, Skipp majored in Accounting in College, while nurturing a love for Rap Music.

Download: The Clean Mixtape
Download: The Whitman Fiasco

I'm Not Anti-Pop...But They Are.

Widely regarded as cutting edge innovators to a broad spectrum of listeners including b-boy purists, experimental electronic heads and indie rockers, Anti-Pop Consortium’s return is anticipated to fill a creative void in not only hip hop, but music as a whole.

This group of alt-rappers have been praised for their stream-of consciousness lyrics, their ability to give seemingly unrelated word clusters hidden meaning, and their sonic backdrops that provide the perfect canvas for their lyrical paintings.

Judging by the 5 minute megamix this record is going to SLAY everything in it's path. Check it...

Download: Fluorescent Black 5 Minute Megamix
Download: Volcano (Four Tet Remix) via Pitchfork

The Ever Pious Father Abraham

Father Abraham isn't a local member of the clergy, but a producer and rapper from Boston, Massachusetts.

The good Father released his album entitled I Am Not a Sailor I Am the Captain a while back. As the story goes he was able to dedicate time to recording the album after he quit his job in January of 2008. From that point on he worked on the record from 12am-8am in a converted mill in Chelmsford, MA.

Now with the economy being what it is Father Abraham still has some time on his hands so he's undertaken a new project. His goal as he preaches the gospel is to produce, record, and release one song per week for all of 2009. That's a busy schedule, it's essentially an unpaid full time job!

You can visit the project at http://52pickup.us/ and check it out.

Father Abraham reminds me of MC Chris with absolutely no Adult Swim links and a whole ton of talent. His tunes have some sort of 80's hip hop Miami vibe to them and that's why I love them. He might not be religious but his gospel is good!

Download: All My Friends Are CFO's
Download: Elevator
Download: Spacemarch

NASA Is Oh So Gifted

There's a new video from the crazy folks who are N.A.S.A. and as per usual it's an awesome little work of art. It's just another feather in the cap of the rather brilliant duo who somehow managed to round up half the damn musical world to appear on their 2009 debut.

I mean come on..."Gifted," alone has Kanye West, Santogold, AND Lykke Li! That's like the line up of the gods and when you have the song remixed by Treasure Fingers that's just about unthinkable.

That being said, it’s easy to say that it's damn hard to come across a band with more creative willpower or energy than that of the collaborative geniuses behind 2009’s party band, N.A.S.A. Well, this brand new video of theirs entitled “A Volta” proves that point to the extreme. Directed and animated by the production team Logan, and featuring the artwork of The Date Farmers, this video combines stunning video and graphic art work with its own storyline - accurately representing both the modern-day underworld crime scene and a love for video games.

The video for, "A Volta," is NUTS. It's like watching Grand Theft Auto Rio De Janeiro. You want violence, sex, cardboard bad guys, guns, helicopters, and explosions it's all there. Watching this thing is like watching a stop animation Michael Bay movie. You might have to watch it two or three times just to catch all the action.

Download: Gifted (Treasure Fingers Epic Wave Remix)

Watch: A Volta

Eyedea and Abilities Have You By The Throat

A duo thoroughly steeped in hip-hop accolades, the Minnesota-based duo Eyedea and Abilities have returned with their brand new album By The Throat, out July 21st on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Their first album since the breakout 2004 release E&A, By The Throat’s songs range from intensely personal topics to the more esoteric (quantum mechanics). The end result is leaps and bounds beyond what MC Eyedea is perhaps best known for, his prowess as a battle rapper (winner of HBO’s Blaze Battle, Scribble Jam and several others). DJ Abilities, also a well-known battle vet and contributor to El-P’s now-classic Fantastic Damage, adds heavily to the sonic soundscape of this album, which advances beyond boom-bap hip-hop into rock-fueled guitar riffs, gritty production and melodic songwriting.

Eyedea and Abilities were instrumental in the wave of independent hip-hop that includes Atmosphere, El-P, Aesop Rock, Living Legends and several other seminal acts. By The Throat is their most progressive and refined effort to date.

E & A will be performing at Rhymesayers’ Soundset ’09 on May 24th and will be headlining a tour in the fall of 2009. They have also been confirmed for the following Rock the Bells dates this summer where they'll play alongside Nas, The Roots, Ice Cube, Reflection Eternal, Common, Busta Rhymes, RZA, GZA, Sage Francis and more.

Rock The Bells Tour Dates:
06.27 - Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
06.28 - Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
07.05 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheater
07.12 - Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
07.18 - Boston, MA @ Comcast Center
07.19 - New York, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheater
08.01 - Vancouver, BC @ Deer Lake Park
08.06 - Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
08.08 - Los Angeles, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater
08.09 - San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater

Download: This Story

Falling on Deaf Judges Ears

Deaf Judges are a four man hip hop crew out of Athens, Georgia consisting of three MCs (Rorshak, Produce Man and Louie Carlysle) and one DJ/ producer (Cubenza).

This conglomeration of talent pulls together vast influences from all over the musical map into a secret formula that exhibits the freewheeling fun of the old-school eighties together with the grimy lyric-driven pulse of nineties NY underground. All of this is spiced with a distinctly Southern flavor that is undeniable, while at the same time far removed from the regional sounds of their dirty south contemporaries.

Their album, All Rise is like a trip back...way back...to the days when hip hop was young and groups like 3rd Bass were blowing up. If you take that and mix it with the contemporary influences of Jurassic 5 you've kind of got an idea of what Deaf Judges are all about.

Download: Deaf Sentence
Download: Space Cadet Setlist