Special Christmas Eve treat from Abundance Child featuring the homey Curly Castro for Thorough Thursdays. If you're hanging out around 8PM tonight, hit up Abundance Child and get enlightened.
To celebrate the Phatman & Likkle bwoy mixtape (which was presented by Beat Garden Ent. and RTD), Curly Castro and DJ Ambush will be joined by a couple "bomb squads", AKA duos that are the bomb, simple and plain. This will include friends of the site Zilla Rocca and Nico The Beast as Clean Guns alongside a gaggle of ill acts. $7 on a Thursday night in Philly is nothing - that's recession-ready Hip-Hop flavor for you, plus that will include a physical copy of the mixtape! Living Proof Radio will be broadcasting the show live, so if you can't make it, you have no excuse - you can hear it somehow, someway! This looks like a sick event in a thriving Hip-Hop scene - don't miss it!
Cool Aide ft. Has-Lo "I'm The Best Mayne": Here's a trunk rattler from iCON and Chum's Flavor Ade, to help you tri-state niggas get amped about Friday's Flavor Ade release party in Philly, which is brought to you by a gang of quality people, including this very site. You guys should really know about my appreciation of Eli Porter, and with the homey Has-Lo on this? No brainer. Blast this, then head out to the show on Friday!
Curly Castro "I Love My 30s": With the recent release of Phatman and Likkle Bwoy, did you think Curly Cas was going to slow down a likkle? Nah... and with this hilariously-realistic send-up of Asher Roth's "I Love College", he breaks down the responsibilities that many of us feel towards those all-night ragers - mainly, "dude, I have work in the morning". Just another example of fine lyricism that blends both humor and reality.
MiC K!ng and Chum have their Flavor Ade album dropping, and Master Works Unlimited and Public Axis, alongside rock the dub and Potholes In My Blog, present to you the Flavor Ade release party, which will feature live performances from friends of RTD Al Mighty and Has-Lo, with the entire event hosted by PackFM. Big up the Cool Aide Sound System. $5, 21+, dope Hip-Hop. What more do you want?
Just caught wind of this, too. On the 5th of November, Al Mighty and Dom from Public Axis hit up Living Proof Radio; Al speaks on "life after MAGr, and the upcoming album the Agony of Deceit". Download and enjoy.
I've leaked a few choice tracks from this mixtape, as well as had the opportunity to see this talented MC spit live and in living color... now its time to bring you, in association with Beat Garden Entertainment, the new mixtape from Curly Castro and DJ Ambush, Phatman and Likklebwoy. I'd love to bust some crazy wisdom about how amazing this mixtape is (which it is), but Dom from Public Axis sent over this awesome press release, and it says everything you need to know, so ch-check it out:
Curly Castro "Keychains": Here's the final leak from DJ Ambush and Curly Castro's Phatman And Likklebwoy mixtape, which will be dropping on RTD next week. Curly throws some story-driven darts about some cats that you probably know in your hood. While he borrows the hook from The Clipse, this goes deeper than slick-talkin' Crack Rap; this is November chill, with a healthy dose of real life struggle.
Curly Castro "Summer Of '77": I premiered "First Release" about a month and a half ago, and just got hit with Curly Castro and DJ Ambush's Phatman & Likklebwoy mixtape, and this thing is a heatrock. This is a bit different, and I don't know if its the dreary weather here in the tri-state, but those junglish drums and that eerie melody are killing me right now.
The Beat Garden is taking over this all-ages show this Friday (October 23rd) at Mummers Hall in Philly. Should be a tight showcase! Passion of the Weiss has also posted Zilla Rocca's "Beatle Bitches" freestyle. Word is Curly Castro's mixtape is dropping... and another mixtape, soon come. Keep your eyes peeled!
I love going out and realizing what I've been missing. I'm a homebody for a number of reasons, but when I heard that my boy Elucid was going to be performing in Philly, which isn't even 45 minutes from my spot (Darnell and I must've made the drive in about 30, 35 minutes it seems), I had no excuse to not be there, especially with heads like 5 O'Clock Shadowboxers, Has-Lo, Dumhi, Al Mighty, Curly Castro and more on the bill. But, oh yes, we'll get into all of that in this recap. Walk with me...
Curly Castro, who got some of his first press on this here blog, rocked first, and I was truly impressed. I may not have known all of the tracks he was running through, but you could feel the shit he was spittin'. Dope performances, including the first (of many) appearances from Nico The Beast on "Armor". Great opening act.
My nigga also did some track called "The Commentary", which was truly awesome. Broke down a lot of society's ills in what seemed like one long verse. It was inspiring.Up next was Al Mighty, one half of MAGr, and it was good to see dude performing. He attacked the stage and just went OFF! DistantStarr got on stage and they performed "Tokyo Raul", among a bunch of other gems past and present. I also loved how, even if he forgot a portion of the rhyme, instead of cuttin' the show, he just kept it going, freestyling until he either picked the verse back up or the track was done. Dude also kicked off a really heartfelt track about losing those close to you, which definitely allowed me to see his skill in a different light. Also showed me how close cats like Al and Nico really are. This is deeper than rap.
Up next was Dumhi, who were accompanied by Shamelessplug, FLUD and had a guest appearance from Reef The Lost Cauze. Yes, you read that correctly. I loved Dumhi's set - those cats came correct, and Shameless really impressed me the most. Again, I'm not as knowledgable about their material as I should be, but with Haj hitting me off w/ the Indian Summer EP, and realizing how often I've seen their name around, I'm doing my research, trust. Good crew of people, and a great, organic set.
Towards the end of Dumhi's set, I had to get some air, so I rapped with Al at the bar for a taste (hopefully the fruits of our convo will be shared soon), and when I got back, Zilla Rocca was in full 5 O'Clock Shadowboxers mode, with Curly Castro by his side:
As you should know, 5 O'Clock Shadowboxers = Zilla Rocca and Doug Martin, and their Slow Twilight album caused quite a stir this summer. I've gone back to it numerous times since I grabbed it, and it just has a dope combination of those somber vibes and classic Hip-Hop breaks and beats. Zilla ran through a grip of the tunes, including "High Noon", which I believe will be getting the video treatment sometime soon.
At one point in the set, Zilla called up Has, Elucid and Nico for a sick posse cut that will be featured on the forthcoming 5 O'Clock EP, Broken Clocks, entitled "No Resolution 2". Here are some flicks from this blinding track:
That shit was tough. After the 5 O'Clock set, the Rap Pack reunited and stormed through their classic material, as well as a few new joints (I believe). It was good to see the 5 MCs on stage, going for theirs, to a crowd who definitely knew what time it was. As the night came to a close, we got to see a load of freestyles, a sack full of laughs and a great night for Hip-Hop, from Philly or otherwise. Shouts to Dom P, Big O, the Rap Pack, Elucid, Has-Lo, Small Pro, Curly Castro and anyone I might have forgotten who helped put this night together. It started a fire within me (and others), and should only mean good things for the Beat Garden, Public Axis and RTD crews. Thank you, Philly.
All photo credits go to Liz Padova; check out her "Hip-Hop Shows In Philly" album on Facebook. There are also some pics and a review over on Phrequency, which I believe are from @livefromphilly.
Web ft. Zilla Rocca & Nico The Beast "Still Leanin'": Here's a cut from Web's Great Idea, featuring two Beat Garden affiliates in Nico and Zilla. This is for my super drunk/super high people out there, trying to figure out what the HELL happened last night. Trying to get some Beat Garden x RTD shit going on. It's not a game.
Zilla Rocca & Has Lo "Forever": Here's the last leak before tonight's show at Khyber tonight, showing Zilla and Has going in over De La Soul's classic "Forever". Dom from Public Axis said that Elucid might be bringing in some Lessondary niggas? I'll be documenting the night pon de video camera, so expect some videos over the weekend. Hope to see you there!
Curly Castro "First Release" (prod. by Justin M): Castro is the latest edition to the Public Axis camp, and this is a pretty bittersweet cut from him, serving as an introduction, but I have a feeling a lot of you will be able to relate to. Do yourself a favor and introduce yourself.
After the praise that the "Laminated Looseleafs" leak received last week, Public Axis and Rock The Dub proudly present MAGr's No News Is Good News album, free of charge. NJ has always been a hotbed for fresh Hip-Hop, from Redman and Queen Latifah to Poor Righteous Teachers, Tony D, YZ, Naughty By Nature, Joe Budden and countless others. Thing is, the state stays slept on. In the last couple of years, I've seen many NJ artists get love, and MAGr's Al Mighty and DistantStarr are two talented individuals who deserve that same shine. Their sound is a futuristic throwback: while they wear their mid-90's, Jansport rockin' flavor on their sleeves, the tracks don't sound stale or played out. They take risks (not too many MCs would rock over Hudson Mohawke's instrumental that became "Buttafly"), and it still comes out dope. And even though they are aligned with the Rap Pack, they still come off as two individuals who effortlessly hold their own in the cipher. Dom P has blessed me with the pleasure of dropping this to you free of charge, and I thank him. If you are digging this, continue to support - Public Axis, the Beat Garden and RTD have plenty more where this came from!
MAGr ft. Blu "Laminated Looseleafs" (prod. by DistantStarr): Here's a leak from a project I've been waiting to unleash for a minute. Dom P at Public Axis and RTD are presenting MAGr's No News Is Good News album... remember when I hipped you to this back in June? I've been rockin' to this for the last week, and its awesome. Al Mighty and DistantStarr make up MAGr, and both have put in a gang of work on this project. The bulk of the project was produced by DistantStarr, but beats from the likes of Hudson Mohawke, Erik L, Fel Sweetenberg and many more compliment his soundscapes very well - and the lyrics? Al Mighty is a beast on the mic, and with features from the Rap Pack and Cymarshall Law (again, among others) help accent MAGr's flavors.
5 O'Clock Shadowboxers "No Fury (Zilla Rocca Remix)": 5 O'Clock Shadowboxers = Zilla Rocca rapping over Doug Martin beats. I slept on their The Slow Twilight project, and just got into it over the last few weeks, so its refreshing to hear Zilla rework one of the tracks.
I hit you with the mighty B-side from MAGr, "Come Home", the other day; Dom hit me with the cover and some more info on their forthcoming album, No News Is Good News, as well as some info on the LP... "featuring appearances from Blu, Clean Guns, 2ew Gunn Ciz, Cymarshall Law and production from Hudson Mohawke, DistantStarr, Le N?ko, Erik L and Fel Sweetenberg". The artwork was done by Mars Five GFX, and looks so ill. Can't wait for this one.
