Let’s make this short and sweet. The cultural ideology behind Hip Hop is schizophrenic. At least once a week, the Hip Hop nationalists talk out of both sides of their necks. When it comes to sending the “right” message, the word “right” is entirely relative and shifty.
Filed under events that confirm we are even closer to return of the Messiah, a white man actually had to don white make-up to impersonate a black man.
Perhaps you recall the events of last month, when our resident hellion, white-boy rapper, Eminem stirred up trouble by using his new video, “Just Lose It” to mock Michael Jackson and his child molestation allegations. In the video, Eminem dresses up like Jackson and in one scene has little boys jumping around in the background to the lyrics, “Come here little kiddie, on my lap / Guess who’s back with a brand new rap? / And I don’t mean rap, as in a case of child molestation.” When word of this spread, the pedophiliac-accepting masses were incensed at Eminem’s lack of reverence for the hallowed St. Michael.
Jackson himself was no happy camper either. The video in question brought to light a topic that Jackson has been more than candid about: his propensity to “play” with boys. Claiming that Eminem “crossed the line,” Michael’s umbrage led to a protest, asking cable music stations to pull the video off the air. And by golly, it mostly worked.
VH1 and MTV didn’t comply, but in a clear case of pot and kettle banter, Black Entertainment Television’s founder and president Robert Johnson announced that BET would be yanking the video because he felt it was “inappropriate.” In a stroke of irony, it seems the founder of BET (which is by the way a grand purveyor of ubiquitous amounts of hedonism on a 24-hour-basis) had a run-in with morality.
At this point, it is assumed that the word “inappropriate” could only be defined in the most Bill Clintonesque manner possible. Which is only to say that the definition in question is more vague than Kevin Spacey’s sexuality. Then again, at least Spacey attempts to pick a side.
Let us remember that BET is the same channel that daily takes booty-gyration and grinding to new lows with their late-night show “Un-cut,” which airs uncensored clips of music videos along with a couple doses of impropriety, sexual behavior and scantily clad women. While these things don’t fit under the banner of “inappropriateness,” apparently Eminem’s video does.
Others in the hip hop community have also taken issue with Eminem’s assault on St. Michael. In a press release, Ray “Benzino” Scott, a founder of “The Source Magazine” and perpetual thorn in Eminem’s side, wrote the following concerning the video, “For too long influential people in the hip-hop community have stood by Eminem while he has made a mockery of the culture that inspires and motivates our young people to achieve and be proud of their black heritage … ”
It is quite possible that Benzino was on crack when he wrote that as anyone who’s flipped through “The Source” magazine lately would be hard-pressed to find much of anything about which the black community should feel pride or self-worth.
This is among many accusations Benzino has made in his magazine against Eminem. A year ago he accused the rapper of using the N-word and disparaging black women in his lyrics captured on some old tapes. While it is highly likely that the accusation is true, to paraphrase a favored Biblical passage, “Hello Speck, meet the Plank in eye.”
The validity of the claims from blacks in the Hip Hop community against Eminem are severely hindered by a culture that regularly plasters hootchified black women across magazines and on television, “droppin’ it like it’s hot,” wearing dental floss, and acting like slaves on the auction block while men call them everything but their given names. As evidence would have it, Eminem’s accusers don’t have a case.
To date, it doesn’t appear that the revelation of hip hop’s moral bi-polar disorder has yet descended upon the critical mass of the culture. The events that must transpire to bring people from the current state of delusion to the land of enlightenment and rationality will have to be drastic. Not even a thong boycott could save this wreck.
BET’s leadership is disgraceful. Would we ever see Robert Johnson’s teenage daughter Paige wearing what the video hos wear and shaking her posterior while a man calls her out of her name? It is highly doubtful, yet Johnson thinks this behavior to be an appropriate representation of the rest of the black community.
Before embracing the role of the “Moral Police,” the collective minds behind hip hop need to decide what it is they want to portray. For crying out loud, choose a flippin’ motivation; pick a side and stay there; and more importantly get a clue.
Lyrakill Mindskillz of Surreal Music and Bad Habitat. Portland Hip Hop mogul and marketing genius. Mindskillz produces for, raps for and does all graphic design for Surreal Music
Grind Time CEO’s Part 3: Lush One Lush One 9DM: Don Uno, what’s good man? How you been? Lush One: Been good man.. doin like 12 million things at once.. doin 18 much.. busy.. but… more
Apathy vs. prosperity: the NW Hip Hop forum “Jenna Montgomery Daily Staff Last Sunday’s Northwest Hip Hop Forum at the Showbox had auras of business and camaraderie, but seldom did… more
Wednesday December 16th (01/16/10) PSU Winter Solstice Party at Barracuda Featuring Northorn Lights, Bad Habitat, Mighty, Dj Mentos and DJ LayLow as the Master of Ceremonies Hosted by… more
Bad Habitat New Years Revolution Party at Rodder’s Pub Friday 1/1/2010 Oregon City, Oregon Bad Habitat (Flawless, Dru Manchu, Damian Grey aka Trafek) Rock Rodder’s Pub in Oregon… more
Jenna Montgomery Daily Staff Last Sunday’s Northwest Hip Hop Forum at the Showbox had auras of business and camaraderie, but seldom did the two mix. Producers, accountants, and musicians milled among the members of their separate crews, asking each other, “Who you with? Have you checked in yet?” Seeing this disunity and battle of attitudes, one might wonder how much of a hip hop community Seattle actually has.
The forum had two panels in the afternoon. The first was for people to discuss issues relevant to the hip hop community. The second was an opportunity for unsigned performers to get advice from professionals in the recording industry. Promoters of new releases, magazines such as Ill Tip and The Flavor, and Channel 29 (Public Access) set up booths outside the auditorium.
The first panel opened at noon with organizer and mediator, Robert Brewer of Crazy Pinoy Productions, who sounded optimistic about the shape of hip hop in Seattle and surrounding areas. “1996 is going to be a very prosperous and successful year for a lot of people out there,” he said.
This optimism seems to be a shared feeling within the community, but contrary to the love and unity hip hop is known for, problems arise in competing genres of hip hop. When the b-boys (hip-hoppers) identify themselves with gansta rap, funk, the East or West coast style, etc., they perpetuate this division, and according to Robert Redwine of Wine Time Productions, slow the success of the hip hop industry.
“There are rivalries going on in the rap scene, East against West,” said Redwine. “Rap started on the East coast, and I think it’s good to be diversified with music, so let’s respect each other. There’s so much hatred going on in Seattle, we’re not going to be a major scene unless we get off of this hatred thing.”
People in the audience stepped up to the microphone, angered by the general apathy they receive from the 21-and-over clubs and record companies who don’t put any effort into the work of these b-boys.
Source of Labor’s Blahzey Blah commented, “We’ve got to build within ourselves first, make sure that your team is all the way correct because if I’m coming after you for info, you better believe that I’ve got something to give. If you expect someone to love you, you have to be able to prove that you can love them back in a sense of what you’re doing. Don’t be involved in the scene if you are not an open and pliable resource for the artist. If you are not accessible to us, then you are nothing to us. All of you dropping cards, names, lists – drop some availability, you know what I’m saying?”
One man from the audience, Jace, stood up to say, “I’m hearing this, ‘They won’t let us.’ Well, what are you waiting for? It ain’t no easy walk-in, I been in this business for ten years, been to the East coast and seen how they respect us, been down to LA and the Bay and seen how they respect us. They don’t, and you know why? Cause we ain’t puttin’ it out.”
At one point in the forum, everyone turned to somebody else to shake hands and say, “What’s up?” and “What’s happenin’?” to demonstrate the unity and spirit hip hop strives for. Cuteness and fronting pushed aside, respect and love briefly took over the room.
“I think a lot of people are gettin’ off here, we’ve got two conflicting ideas going on,” said another participant. “We say this is a forum on hip hop, then we say this is business. Hip hop is not business. If we’re tryin’ to talk business or how to be an MC – I’m not an MC, I’m just a person. I’m just tryin’ to do my own thing and if we’re goin’ to have a forum on business, I’m like, ‘Fuck that! Go to a library.’ I’m talking about the impulse that drives hip hop. I’m talking about waking up in the morning and reading how they killin’ niggas. That’s the unity, the frustration that we feel and all that. So when people come up here complainin’ about how they can’t play in the clubs, it’s not about tryin’ to gain acceptance. Shit, accept yourself! Everybody’s going to respect you. It’s not about comin’ here and shaking hands, it’s about saying, ‘Goddamn! What is goin’ on?’ That’s the stuff I want to see discussed if we’re gonna have a forum about hip hop.”
By the end of the day, everyone was ready to kick back, relax and listen to the local artists lined up for the show. At seven, the DJ rolled into action and a heavy bass beat boomed from the speakers. Everything was running smoothly save a few technical problems (the audience shouted at the performers, the performers cussed at the “sound man”). Heads began to bop and hands waved in the air to the music of T Love, Beyond Reality, Source of Labor, Spice E (this woman has an incredible talent for freestyle), Profits of Truth, and Infinite Narcotic.
The evening ended on a positive note, but many remained uninspired. We can only wait and see what happens to hip hop in Seattle. Until then, you can check out what’s going on now by listening to KCMU’s Rap Attack on Sunday evenings, reading hip hop magazines, and going to local clubs like the Metropolis, Aardvark and the Weathered Wall.
DJ LayLow and Ozone are giving back again. The promoters/hosts known for their heart of gold have collaborated to form the “Bring a Child Out of the Cold, Dance Party”, a charity Hip Hop show which will take place Thursday Jan. 21st, 2010 at Barracuda, located at Second Avenue and Northwest Couch Street.
Doors open at 10 p.m. and admission is free for all attendees 21 and up, and only $10 for those between 18 to 20 years of age. There will be live performances by Portland native hip hop groups Bad Habitat, Lady Matriarx, Tru Game, and DJ Mentos along with drawings for prizes.
Ozone has raised thousands of clothes, canned foods, toys, and dollars for multiple charity organizations in past successful Hip Hop fundraisers while DJ LayLow coordinates concerts that regularly result in over a thousand in capacity, so this bound to be a spectacular event for the greater Portland area. To make the “Bring a Child Out of the Cold, Dance Party” a beneficial showcase, they ask for a donation of a coat or a toy for a boy or girl, which will be generously given to Northwest Impact for proper distribution to Portland’s youth.
Support local hip hop, especially when local hip hop is supporting the youth of our community and donate a coat, toy, and lend an ear to the “Bring a Child Out of the Cold, Dance Party” and Northwest Impact this Thursday at Barracuda. As said by DJ LayLow “Those of us in the hip-hop community have benefited from what we do and would like to give back to our community and show a positive side of hip-hop that most don’t see, the kids are our future and if we don’t look out for them who will?”
We haven’t updated the site for awhile. The owner of Hiphop IS Music – Bryan “Braille” Winchester spent most of 2008 re-building and re-structuring. We are back for 2009 with two releases. First up is Braille and S1’s collaborative record titled “CloudNineteen”. This album is already out now and you can get more details at www.itsnineteen.com. We have started an initiative with the hope of manufacturing and giving away 30,000 copies of this new record.
Next up is the long awaited solo album from Sojourn. The record is titled “Sojournalism: The Summer Articles”. It features production from OhNo, PNS (Molemen), Dert, Theory Hazit and more – plus many tracks laced by Sojourn himself. The anticipated release date is either the last Tuesday of May or the first Tuesday of June. Stay tuned and we will be back with more updates soon. In the meantime, check out www.itsnineteen.com to check out the latest drop.
Hey, this is Braille and I wanted to give everyone a quick update on what’s going on with the label. We are still pushing our previous releases including records from Sivion, Surreal, Theory Hazit, Othello and Poems. You can find all these releases and more in our online store and also on Itunes. I haven’t had much time to keep this set updated lately because I’ve been preparing for the release of my forth solo record “The IV Edition”. I’m going to spend all summer touring (my wife and daughter will be joining me) and once I get back it will be business as usual. Our next release will be a solo record from Sojourn!!! In the meantime, your support with “The IV Edition” would be greatly appreciated. You can order your copy now from www.360vinyl.com, www.sphereofhiphopstore.com, www.qualityjunk.com, www.ughh.com, www.accesshiphop.com, the bus shop, Best Buy, Amazon and many more spots worldwide. Below are some banners and pictures you can check out as well.
Located in Michigan and part of the Lightheaded crew. Hiphop IS Music will be doing the worldwide release of Othello’s highly anticipated album “Alive At The Assembly”. This record is scheduled to drop July 2007. www.myspace.com/othello
Braille
Located in Portland, OR and part of the Lightheaded crew. Braille currently has two solo albums available on Hiphop IS Music. “Shades of Grey” and “Box of Rhymes”. www.myspace.com/braillebrizzy
Lightheaded (Braille, Ohmega Watts and Othello)
Based in Portland, OR this group has 1 album available on Hiphop IS Music titled “Pure Thoughts” (2003). Also check out the most current Lightheaded album “Wrong Way” on Tres Records. www.myspace.com/lightheaded
Sharlok Poems
Located in Los Angeles from the LA Symphony crew. He already has two solo records out, his next offering titled “Blooming Sounds” will be dropping on Hiphop IS Music in 2007!!! www.myspace.com/sharlokpoems
Sivion
Located in Dallas and part of the Deepspace5 crew. Sivion dropped his second solo album titled “Spring of the Songbird” on Hiphop IS Music. It is available now!!! www.myspace.com/sivion
Sojourn
Located in San Diego, CA and part of the Future Shock crew. Sojourn is currently working on his first solo album titled “Sojournalism: The Summer Articles” due out on Hiphop IS Music in the near future. www.myspace.com/fssojourn
Surreal
Located in Tampa Florida. He put out a record on Hiphop IS Music called “Future Classic” which is available now. He is already working on his next album “King Poetic” scheduled to release in 2008. www.myspace.com/surrealsound
Big Rec (aka Reconcile)
Located in Oklahoma and part of the Mass Reality crew. Currently working on his second solo album titled “The Uprise of Fall” which will drop on Hiphop IS Music in the near future. www.myspace.com/bigrecmusic
Theory Hazit eCard
Theory Hazit Ecard check out the E-card for the album “Extra Credit” by Theory Hazit. Available now.
Free Mix: Hiphop IS: Music For the B-Boys
Our first free mix titled “Hiphop IS: Music For the B-Boys“, 30 minutes of songs and beats from Hiphop IS Music blended together by Sean P. You can dance to this or just cool out and listen. Most of these songs are taken from full length albums available now at www.hiphopismusic.com – the support is greatly appreciated. Click on the cover below to get a larger cover.
Hip Hop is Music has a great forum with a lot of active members. Sign up today!
Lush One: Been good man.. doin like 12 million things at once.. doin 18 much.. busy.. but its a good kind of busy.. success is very scary and not that comfortable all the time.. and you are forced to raised your standards for life or slow your momentum.. its crazy.. Im trying to enjoy it all and stay as organized and focused as possible.. we just gettin started.
9DM: Most people probably know you as the president of the Grind Time West Coast division, but aren’t you also involved in the company as a CEO?
Lush One: Yessir. I am co-CEO and co-owner of the company with Madd Illz and Drect in addition to the President of the West Coast division.. this position will be passed down tho, when the time is right. I still have some more VERY important moves to make for the Fresh Side, yadig? Tiajuana to Vancouver and everywhere in between.. WESTA COASTA OCEANA PACIFICA!!
9DM: Your last battle was with Unorthodox Phrases if I remember correctly. Are you ever going to make a return to the ring?
Lush One: At some point perhaps.. but its just not on my agenda right now. It would have to be someone more famous than me who really tried to fuck with me, test my nuts, or step on my toes.. or be someone that I admire but want to clash with.. otherwise I dont see it being a good move.. I’d rather be the shot clock- above the game..
9DM: I interviewed Drect and Madd Illz and asked where they thought Grind Time would be in a year. The answer seemed to be along the lines of world domination. Does that about some it up for you as well?
Lush One: Pretty much. We are expanding into many new arenas of urban culture while we continue to solidify and magnify our strong hold on our current points of interest (i.e. battle rap). We will continue to evolve and grow.. the opportunites on our horizon between the Vans Warped Tour, SXSW, The Source magazine, 2v2 tournament, new music distribution outlets, new reality shows, tv network connections,overseas tours, and some huge new sponsors and investors are just some of the things we are workin on in the next few months.. by the end of the year it will be even crazier.
9DM: What are some of the dream matches you would like to put together?
Lush One: I am planning a new event called M.O.B. (Massacre of the Bay) for either April or May.. it will be the biggest event GTNow has seen to date and will feature literally the illest line up ever.. nothing but dream matches.. for’realz..
9DM: Your in a group called Del-Mon correct? Could you explain what your name stands for and who’s on the roster?
Lush One: DelMon stands for Delinquent Monastery.. that is my crew for life and the members are Lush One, Plex Rock, and Ajaxx.. Jaxx is currently takin time off to focus on his new family, whereas Plex Rock and myself have continued on with a new project/group called the Rollin Rockers.. we recently got back from a tour in France where we got signed to a super dope and pretty famous label called Chinese Man Records www.chinesemanrecords.com . They are puttin out our debut EP on cd, vynil, and internet distritbution as well as settin up some pretty major tours.. You can peep some of our new music at: www.reverbnation.com/rollinrockers ..Its some crazy different shit but people are really lovin it.. especially the ladies!
9DM: Do you have any other projects in the works? It seems like your always making moves on some level.
Lush One: I already told you about the M.O.B. battle.. we (my other company COCONUTS ENT. ) got a monthly event in Frisco called FRESHEN UP which is crazy as well.. The FRESH COAST Non-Perishables Vol. 2 compilation drops on 2/16/10 on itunes, amazon.com , and more.. it features all of your favorite Fresh Coast heavy hitters as well as guest apearances by Sadat X, Motion Man, Mistah F.A.B., Slug of Atmosphere, AP9, T-Nutty, Killa Tay, & more.. The Rollin Rockers debut EP and a follow up EP are being worked on as well in addition to some contributions to some major compilations and projects of affiliates. I am also co-executive producing several other projects for Fresh Coasters and other alternative artists like my homie Roch as well.. Im available for guest verses, hosting, public apearances, promotions, modeling, acting, and consoltations as well.. DOIN 18 MUCH!
9DM: Madd Illz said that Grind Time is going to be releasing a magazine. Do you have any other idea’s as far as branching out into other area’s of business?
Lush One: we got a GANG of merchandise and product diversification ideas in the works that will be coming to life very soon.. the wheels are in motion. And skrill talk, among them is a new type of coconut-based rollin paper product called none other than… COCONUT YAPERS!!!
9DM: That’s probably one of the tightest things i’ve ever heard haha. Good Lookin’ out for stopping through! Sounds like you have a lot in the works for 2010. Hopefully you’ll stop by in the future and keep us updated
Lush One: Of course, the NorthWest is and always has been a part of the Fresh Coast movement.. yall also got your unique style and flavor that you bring to the table.. I NEED to get back to Portland asap.. too many strippers and the most underrated chronic in the world.. I love Portland. When we gettin on a track fooooo! Get at me whenever, I would love to conribute to this site in any way I can and keep yall updated on the yay area and Los Ganjales movements.. BANG BANG SPLAAAASSSSHHH!!
This is the free album by Portland producer Lawz Spoken. 12 tracks with one bonus cut from Sapient. Featuring Illmaculate, Only One, Okwerdz, Epp, Chase Moore, Sapient and much more. The production on this album makes it worth listening to on repeat. Download and spred the word. This is probably the best Free original CD released in the history of Portland! Watch out for The Rap Life EP in 2010.
Track listing:
01 Intro [Wake Up Everybody] ft. illmaculate
02 Sleep This Off ft. Epp, illmaculate & Chase Moore
03 A Love Thing ft. Tope
04 Cash Rules ft. DaiN
05 Roll Green Weed ft. Only One
06 Guns Money & Bitches ft. illmaculate, Okwerdz & DaiN
07 Standing In The Rain ft. Anonmis
08 My Legacy ft. Sole Pro
09 Get Up ft. 9DM
10 Babylon ft. Introspective
11 Different Dreams ft. Epp & Tope
12 Outro [It Keeps Raining] ft. illmaculate
Weapon X is a 3 man hip-hop group consisting of Fluent, Time Line, and Sole Provider. They all have ties to the North West, but they dubbed it the North Next. The Weapon X (EP) is the first release from North Next Entertainment. Timeline produced every track on this album as well as spit verses with Fluent and Sole-Provider on every track. Props to DJ Wels for the scratches on Sooo Whack. This EP includes a couple of radio edits so feel free to use them! Don’t forget to leave feedback.
Internet Marketing Guide for Independent Hip Hop Artists
Introduction: The internet is so important in today’s society, everybody uses the internet all the time. A lot of people look to the internet for music to buy and download. That’s where you come into play. You make music, and you want to sell it, or at least give it away to as many people as possible. So here are some very helpful instructions on how to go about promoting your music successfully online. Most people use search engines to find things, so optimizing for search engines is very important also.
Essentials: Among the essentials for internet marketing are obviously a computer (preferably one that’s not too old and crappy) and an internet connection. You should also probably have an online store of some kind, no point in marketing your music if no one can buy it. Also you will probably want to sign up for a few different email accounts so you can sign up for a few different accounts on social networking sites. The more times you are online in different places, the better. Most importantly you need to have the rights to your music. Sign up for ASCAP.
Online Store: Ideally you want to be on iTunes but it costs a little bit of money and takes some time to verify that your music is authentic but it is the best way to sell your music online through download. Also getting your pressed CD on online cd stores is a great idea. Local CD stores are a good place to start and having CD’s on Amazon or ebay is a definite plus. Reverb Nation, Snocap and a few other services will allow you to set up a pay per download account for individual songs and albums. Sign up for as many different ways to sell your music as possible.
Social Networks: You MUST have a Facebook and Twitter account. Try to post once a day on these with keyword heavy text and links to your other sites. There are many different social networking websites, blogging sites, event websites, and social bookmarking sites that allow you to build your network online. The bigger network, the more chances to hear your music and buy your songs.
Keywords: Chances are people are looking for music like yours, not you specifically. So its best to use keywords that reflect your music style as much as possible. It is good to use your name a lot too but don’t forget what people will be searching for. For instance if I wanted for someone to be able to find this post I would say a lot of things about “internet marketing guide for independent artists”. Use your area ( in my case Portland, Northwest, West Coast or Oregon will all work) in your keywords when marketing for shows. People will be looking for shows in your area not for you specifically. Example Keyword Sentence: On November 14th 2009 Portland Hip Hop group Bad Habitat of Surreal Music will be rocking Club Calabash, Portland’s illest hip hop club.
Here are some examples of keywords that I would want to use for a post like this one: Internet Market Guide for Independent Hip Hop Artists
Images: It is important that you name your files something that makes sense. For instance if the picture is of you at a show don’t name the picture “ME006.jpg” name it “mindskillz-portland-hip-hop-show.jpg”. Also if you are familiar with html or know someone that is, it is important to include the alt attribute in the image tag. Use keyword text for the alt attribute as well as the name of the file. Sometimes blogs like wordpress or blogspot will allow you to ad title text or alt text when you upload or place images into your blog.
The text surrounding your images will also effect its keyword relevancy. If I were to put the keyword “Bad Habitat” around this image it will have more relevancy for that phrase in image searches done on search engines.
You Need a Website NOW
Websites: You have to have a website, in fact have two… or more. The more websites, the more ways people can find you. Use keywords in the domains that you buy. For instance if your band name is G-Rap buy a domain like www.g-rap-hip-hop.com that way it includes hip hop in the domain and gives you more relevancy on search engines. Make sure that the content is different from site to site, you don’t want them being too similar. A blog is a good bet for any indie artist trying to market themselves online. Search engines like blogs and its easy to post information like shows and pictures.
Blog: You will want to sign up to as many sites as you can that allow you to blog. Many of them already have good ranking on search engines so if you can link to your website from them with a lot of keywords and good images you will get some of that good ranking from their sites and build more links to your sites, where people can buy your music (or at least download it, more about that later). Some blog sites that you will want to sign up for are: tagged.com, vox.com, plurk.com, my.opera.com, blogger.com aka blogspot.com, myspace.com,
Other good sites to sign up for are:current.com, culturemob.com, eventful.com, gigmasters.com, youtube.com
Its not good enough to just sign up for blogs, social networking sites and social bookmarking sites. You have to be active on them. The more often you can post the better. It is better to post once a day for 3 days than to post 5 times in one day and then nothing for the next 2. Social bookmarking sites like digg, diigo and delicious don’t require daily posts nearly as much but every post that you do make on social networking sites and blogs should be linked to and bookmarked.
Video: you have to sign up for Youtube, you have to film your shows, you have to have music videos, or goof off in front of the camera or something. Video is one of the most important forms of media online and it is an invaluable tool for marketing. Start filming now!
Once you film your shows or have music videos you need to link to them and post them in blogs like shown above. Youtube is one of the most visited sites online and by keyword loading your video tags or comments about the video, you will be able to drive traffic to your online store, your website and more. If you are doing the editing for your videos it is a great idea to include your website domain at all times on the video.
Press Releases: On your blogs and anywhere that will let you release information about your shows, your band, photo shoots, video shoots anything. Try to make each release unique from the others at least 30%. Use most of the same images and video just make sure you change the text as much as possible.
SEO: Get links to your site. Make blogs on tumblr, vox, my.opera, blogspot, wordpress, etc and link to your website. Make sure your sites title tags include keywords and your bands name. The title tags will display on the top bar of your browser. An example of good title tags for a Portland hip hop crew like Bad Habitat would be “Bad Habitat – Portland Hip Hop – Surreal Music”.
Social Bookmarking: These will get links to your sites, which will improve your ranking on search engines and your keyword relevancy. Include keywords in the title of your bookmark and include relevant keywords.
Free Downloads: everybody wants something for free. offer a free sampler download so people can hear you before they download, unless of course you suck. Then you want them to pay before they hear you, but lets hope for both our sake that you don’t suck.
Viral Campaign: A viral campaign is good for any independent hip hop artist. How do you start a viral campaign? Well its not as easy or as cheap as you probably home. It takes time, effort, creativity and a little bit of money. First you want to think of something that’s catchy. This example gives you an idea of what I am talking about. Portland Publishing company and Record Label, Surreal Music, is represented by the domain and the skull image. The question and ambiguity of the image is drawing to the viewer and it also builds brand recognition.
This Person People image is very similar. It draws on comedy to make it more memorable.
The Viral Campaign starts with images like these. But if no one sees the images then its a total waste. So you probably want to make them into stickers or put them on flyers and t-shirts. Stickers can be placed all over town, on buses, bumbers, windows, etc. Stickers build brand recognition the same way that billboards do. No one is going to go out and buy a Pepsi just because they saw a billboard for it, but every one knows what a Pepsi is because of their long time branding campaign. Viral Campaigns are therefor a form of branding. Viral marketing also needs to be done in the blogosphere. For those of you who don’t know what that is I am about to explain.
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community (or as a collection of connected communities) or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions. So like I said before you need a network. Post your viral images and text to your twitter, facebook, vox, my.opera, blogspot, etc. Make your posts as unique as possible and include keyword text about yourself or your rap group, your label, your CD, and your city.
Hip Hop Shows: When you have a show you have a great opportunity to promote yourself. Here are a few ways you can use a show to build hype, branding and online promotions.
Promote The Show: Design your own version of the flyer which highlights yourself over the other local acts. Post it all over the internet with information about the show. Don’t forget to name the file properly.
Record The Show: Have someone take pictures of and/or film your performance. These pictures and video will help you market yourself online later.
Leave Them Wanting More: If you have CD’s, give them out. If you have stickers, give them out. If you have t-shirts, give them out.
After The Show: Post your videos and pictures all over your network. Load them with keywords and link to somewhere that people can buy your music or at least download a sample.
In 1995, when Terence Scott (better known as Cool Nutz) started staging the Portland Oregon Hip-Hop Festival (better known as POH-Hop), hiphop was a lot different. Not just locally, when only a few groups were coming up; but nationally, before the music of hiphop was divided by genre. It was before the invisible lines between hiphop artists–and its fans–were drawn; before there was an established delineation between genres such as “gangsta rap,” “backpacker/ underground hiphop,” or, more absurdly, “goth-hop,” “emo-hop,” “pop-hop,” et cetera and so forth. It was before those delineations were vague signifiers of where your allegiances lay, before they even helped define the kind of person you were.
Cool Nutz liked it like that.
“It’s one of the things that bothered me through the course of Portland hiphop,” he says. “When we first started doing POH-hop, there was no segregation between the street gangsta element and the battle rappers and the backpackers and groups of that nature. There was never a separation. But hiphop has evolved, and now people choose their allegiances. [While hiphop] is really diverse, normally a show [consists of] a certain kind of artist; three groups all doing the same thing. I think the separation diluted the scene. Now you have people arguing whether ‘this is real hiphop; people will say, ‘oh, he said that he’s from Compton or something, so I don’t like it.’”
At first, POH-Hops were established to galvanize the Portland scene, to bring groups together and establish the idea that Portland, while not as nationally renowned as places like Oakland or LA, has a viable and vibrant hiphop scene. The first few POH-Hops were held at the now-defunct venue La Luna, and drew as many as 800 people, according to Cool Nutz. When La Luna tanked, however, the festivals became more difficult to stage. For POH-Hops Four through Seven, Cool Nutz says, “We included acts like Spearhead and Michael Franti, Luniz, Mac Dre, and Ras Kass and featured them as headlining–but we had to move the nights to Berbati’s and the Roseland. And with the POH-hop being a locally featured event, it’s kinda hard when you have a room the size of the Roseland, and the expenses are so high. That’s one of the reasons I had to downsize it this year–so we could keep it local and keep the costs down.”
Cool Nutz and his co-presenter, local musician/activist David Parks, opted to skip putting on POH-Hop last year, for reasons he attributes to a certain stagnation in the local scene. Despite the increasing visibility of the Lifesavas, and the overwhelming popularity of out-of-town performers like Aesop Rock and Atmosphere, it concerned Scott that other local acts had the talent, but weren’t getting the exposure. With POH-Hop 8, Scott hopes to increase awareness and spark interest in groups that may not even play shows very often, especially on a festival scale. “I feel like in the city, there’s not much interest in local hiphop except for a few entities. Portland hiphop is moving forward, but you only have a couple of groups establishing growth in the scene outside of Portland. So to be the catalyst for growth, we have to step up to bat and be responsible for that.”
On Thurs Dec 18, the Ash Street hosts POH-Hop’s Women in Hiphop Showcase, featuring Siren’s Echo, Piece, Turiya, Kay Kay, J-Kron, Sonnie, DJ Deena B, Beyonda, DJ Niz; On Fri Dec 19 at Berbati’s, catch Sleep, Maniac Lok, Brotha Luv, TD 32, Potluck, Young Fame, Bullet & Todd G, Cleveland Steamers, Mr. Meezalini, XTAC, Quivah, Dee Arthur & the Flytrapper, Myg, Sonny Bonoho, Trashheap, Face, and DJ Wicked. See Sidebar and Up and Coming, pg 21, for more details.
The Portland hip hop scene has been underrated and unappreciated in the mainstream media. It is, however increasing in popularity among underground hip hop heads worldwide. Heavy hitters in the Portland hip hop scene include Illmaculate of Sandpeople and his many achievements in the battle rap game, Cool Nutz and his many successful albums, productions, promotions and radio programs, Sleep of Oldominion and The Chicharones. These artists and many more are making waves in the underground hip hop game and putting the Portland hip hop scene on the map.
Sandpeople: ILLMACULATE, ETHIC, ONLYONE, SIMPLE, DJ SPARK, SAPIENT, AL-ONE, GOLD, IAME. Check out Portland hip hop super group Sandpeople’s online store
Sleep of Oldominion and member of major underground hip hop group The Chicharones
Luck One: Ill emcee hailing from the Portland Hip Hop scene, Luck One has gained a big name for himself in a relatively short amount of time.
Diezel P: One of my personal favorite Portland rappers, Diezel P does a lot of charity shows, volunteer work for the community and parks and recreations service. Diezel P really gives back in a major way, this dude deserves a lot of respect as an emcee and as a man.
Rocket One: Portland hip hop veteran, Rocket One, is one of Portland’s Hip Hop kings. With many big shows under his belt, respected master of ceremonies, Rocket One deserves his stature as one of Portland hip hops main contributors.
look out for more information about the Portland Hip Hop scene on Bad Habitat’s hip hop news.
Buy Damian Grey albums on CD Baby
Portland Hip Hop
The Portland Hip Hop scene has long been dominated by indie style alternative hip hop and west coast style gangsta rap. The blend of west coast swagger and northwest worldly consciousness makes the music made in Portland, Oregon 100% unique. Bad Habitat has been putting in work in the Portland Hip Hop scene and the Global Underground Hip Hop scene. The internet is a really powerful tool for independent artists. We believe this more than anyone and it has proven to payoff. Gaining more and more recognition everyday in the city of Portland and the rest of the world via the internet every day, Bad Habitat is quickly helping to put Portland Hip Hop on the map. Peace and respect to all other Portland Hip Hop artists, whether graffiti, dance, mc, dj or beatbox.
Northwest Hip Hop News brought to you by Surreal Music.
Here are a few posts previously posted by Mindskillz. Check out what Wikipedia says about Northwest Hip Hop. By the way, someone needs to update and moderate the Portland hip hop post on Wikipedia. I found a good list of northwest emcees on wikipedia but a lot of stuff needs to be moderated and sourced. List of Northwest hip hop Artists
I hope you’ve been enjoying my posts lately. I thought I might do something different today and rustle up a few bits of info from around the WWW. These are some of the news items and blog posts that have been popular over the last few weeks. Leave me your thoughts.
Location: Calabash (SW 2nd & Taylor) Portland’s Hip Hop Underground The Bill: Bad Habitat, Raise The Bridges, Gepetto, Daps and More. Another day, another bad ass hip hop show at Calabash. Portland’s Hip Hop Heroes, Bad Habitat, …
bad habitat – YouTube – Electricity or Rent
About The Author. Jerry Spina is Founder, Producer and Web Designer for http://www.LaCantinaProductions.com, one of the web’s top audio production sites. Mail this post. Technorati Tags: Bad Habitat, New Underground Hip Hop, rap music.
Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.
Underground Portland hip-hop emcee’s Dru Manchu and Mindskillz are Surreal Music. Flawless and Lady of Bad Habitat and Matriarx are also major members of Surreal Music. Portland Hip Hip wouldn’t be the same without these four artists. Former portland dj, DJ Cuttah is no longer a part of Surreal Music after mysteriously disappearing following a disappointing show for him. Assumed dead or mentaly incompetent DJ Cuttah will be missed. The Portland hip hop scene will most definitely miss him as well. Portland hip hop artists that bad habitat and surreal music have worked with are luck one, sleep of oldominion, iame of sandpeople . Other Surreal Music members include Mindskillz, Northorn Lights and Conflic. These portland emcees have worked with many other hip hop mc’s in the northwest hip hop scene. Below are some sweet links to hip hop related websites.
Ever since I can remember I always wanted to collect 59fifties. Now I do, haha. Mindskillz here, talkin to you about hip hop fashion and New Era’s. Everyone knows them, everyone wants them. Check out some of the info I collected about their collection
New Era Of The 59fifties
When it comes to premium caps for sports and fashion, the new era caps are always on the top of our heads. Started as a company that manufactured “newsboy” caps in the 1920s, the new era caps are now the premier cap worn by every Major League Baseball team and their minor league affiliates, and maintains agreements with other licensed entities including NHL, NBA and
Diezel P, Luck-One, Bad Habitat, Northorn Lights at Bendistillery 1/8/2010 Bend, Oregon
This was a great show in Bend, Oregon at the Bendistillery, Bend’s best concert venue (especially for hip hop). Portland hip hop artists Bad Habitat (Dru Manchu, Flawless and Damian Grey), Diezel P and Luck One headlined this event. These, and other Portland hip hop artists frequent Bend as much as possible since it has a booming hip hop community. Stay posted for more info about hip hop shows in Bend, Oregon.
Bend Hip Hop – Northwest Hip Hop – Portland Hip Hop – Surreal Music – Bad Habitat – Luck One – Diezel P – Northorn Lights New Underground Hip Hop
Five-year-old Felipe Gonzalez strolls out of the neighborhood grocery waving a purple Popsicle and juggling a bottle of iced tea.
“Stop,” says the young man with the little boy. “Your shoe is untied again.”
Hanif Collins, a friend of Felipe’s father, drops to one knee in the wet, rainy parking lot and ties the lace. The boy leans in and rests the icy Popsicle on Collins’ neck. They smile and stand.
“You da bad guy,” Felipe says, giggling as the two continue down the street.
“No,” Collins answers with a playful poke. “You da bad guy.”
Hanif Collins thinks a lot these days about what it means to be a bad guy and a good man. He was a boy who let impulse and anger unravel his life. Now he wants to be the man who can tie his life back together.
When he was 17, Collins pointed a gun at some drug dealers and stole their pot. In Oregon, there’s no leniency for armed robbery. Not even if you’re young. Collins was tried as an adult and spent nearly six years in prison.
Released at 23, Collins faced the chance to start again. He needed to find work despite a felony record and the worst recession in decades. He wanted to chase his dream of becoming a rapper. And he decided the only way to mourn a good friend was to be there for that friend’s little boy. View full sizeRoss William Hamilton/The OregonianHanif Collins and Felipe Gonzalez Jr. leave the library on Northeast Killingsworth Street where Collins and Felipe, 5, read books in English and Spanish. Collins hopes that spending time with his friend’s son will help the boy on his journey to manhood.Collins doesn’t fit the cliche of the young black man who finds trouble. He did not grow up an underprivileged child from a broken home.
He had two loving parents, played the alto sax in Metropolitan Youth Symphony ensembles from fifth through 11th grade. His devout Muslim family encouraged their youngest son to read books and think for himself.
So when his parents, Aqiylah and Omar Collins, first saw their son after his arrest, inside that tiny waiting room at the juvenile detention center, even before the hug, Aqiylah Collins couldn’t help but ask:
“Why are you here?”
Collins put his head down and said, “Bad choices.”
“I just wanted to be sure,” his mother continued, “because we did everything society tells you you’re supposed to do. We put you in after-school programs. You had mentors. You were in the youth symphony. We did everything we could to give you the resources to be successful. … So, I just want to be sure about why you are here.”
At 17, Collins was working and going to school full time. He and his friend, Felipe Gonzalez, were part of a rap group called the 7th Science Collective. They were born 17 days apart, loved to spar with words and were about to release their first album.
But Collins confesses that he also had a lot of anger. Maybe it came from reading books like the “Autobiography of Malcolm X” when he was 11.
“I read a lot of things that were good for me to read, but I don’t think I was really ready for them,” he says. “It kind of caused me, I think, to take a stance like anti-everything. Anti-society.”
The summer of 2002, he remembers, was “the summer of chaos.”
“I was around a lot of people doing negative things, and I was one of them. I wasn’t innocent.”
In fact, he bluntly confesses, “I was a stick-up kid.”
The more he robbed people, the more invincible he felt. So when a friend talked about robbing a guy living in an affluent Portland suburb who had a lot of weed, Collins was in.
Only this time, Collins said, he had a bad feeling.
“We were driving out there and I was thinking, ‘Man, this might be my last one.’”
June 26, 2002: The robbery went pretty much as planned. But when Collins and his partner got back to the car, they found the driver had shut off the motor, was smoking a cigarette and listening to the radio. That gave the angry drug dealers time to catch up.
Afraid of being shot, Collins drew his .22 caliber handgun and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed. He and his partner handed the marijuana over and ran. They were about two blocks away when they realized their driver wasn’t behind them.
They went back only to discover he’d run in a different direction. And, they found a swarm of police cars and motorcycles.
On Dec. 13, 2002, Collins began a 70-month prison sentence. He was young. Outspoken. Defiant. He spent eight months in the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority, then was transferred to adult prison. He arrived at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution near Pendleton wearing a white jumpsuit and rubber sandals.
He felt like the kid he was.
“You’re chained to about 20 dudes by your wrists and your ankles. And you’re shuffling in with those tiny little steps,” he says. “I’m 18. Just imagine that. These dudes are convicts, killers, tattoos on their face.”
Unlike the movie portrayals of solitary confinement, Collins found the hole wasn’t such a bad thing. He fasted. Prayed. Exercised. He played solo chess, taught himself to speak Spanish and read voraciously.
He was days from finishing a 120-day stint for a fight when the letter arrived.
Out of all his “homies” on the outside, his friend Felipe was one of the few who never wrote him after he went to jail. Collins had started a letter to his friend many times in his head: “Ey dog, what’s up man? How you living?”
The letter from Sonny, Collins’ cousin, was pretty typical until Sonny mentioned that he’d gone to Felipe’s wake.
Collins stopped reading.
Excuse me?
Felipe was killed in a car accident, Sonny wrote. He died on impact.
Collins must have read that letter 50 times. “I never had anybody close to me just die.”
A year and three days from getting out of prison, Collins had counted the long days but suddenly he understood how short life can be.
He promised himself he’d make up for lost time. He’d make sure his life stood for something. Later, he remembered Felipe in a song he wrote: “Yo, I knew a young man shining lost his life in a crash, 22 but living life in a flash, the cycles impasse/was taken from the righteous with his likable mass and all I’m think is that coulda been me/ ”
Two months after Sonny’s letter, Collins wrote to Felipe’s parents: “Hearing about my boy’s untimely demise, I felt a lot of regret.”
In neat cursive on two pages of lined notebook paper, he closed with a promise: “I heard that since my imprisonment Felipe had a son. I would very much like it if, when I get out and Lord willing get my life together, I could play a part in helping him along in his journey to manhood.”
View full sizeRoss William Hamilton/The OregonianHanif Collins performs at an Old Town club. His counselor says lots of young men get out of prison wanting to be rappers. Collins is the only one he knows who is actually doing it.It’s a hot July night and almost a year to the day since Collins got out of prison. He greets a mostly white audience at the Southeast Portland club Rotture like an old pro.
“Hey, yo! What’s up Portland? How ya doing out there?”
Wearing baggy jeans, an oversized orange T-shirt and a necklace of wood beads that had belonged to Felipe, Collins introduces himself to the crowd as “Luck-One Conscious” — his emcee name.
Then he dives into a rap: “Back in 1984, a child came glow on the low, lo and behold I was fresh…”
Young women in tight jeans push their way to the front to dance and flirt.
After the set, the crowd lines up to buy the CDs Collins sells from a cracked brown vinyl bag slung over his shoulder.
The CD, “Beautiful Music,” contains seven tracks ranging from synthesized ’80s beat to jazzy blues to bang-it-out rap. The lyrics speak to prison and prejudice but also to peace and a 17-year-old girl who “abolished the misconception of her race” by graduating with a scholarship. The songs recognize reality but also urge listeners to dream.
Surrounded by the crowd, Collins wipes his sweat with a towel someone offers. In a voice hoarse from performing, he jokes that he feels like a rock star.
Life is good.
But not like a rock star.
“Home” now is a small room on the fifth floor of an old downtown Portland hotel. Collins cooks with a hotplate, convection oven and toaster.
His bookshelf overflows with titles for a young man intent on improvement: Barack Obama’s “Audacity of Hope,” “Gandhi: An Autobiography,” “The Souls of Black Folk” by W.E.B. DuBois. There’s also: “The Idiots Guide to Real Estate Investing,” “Spanish the Easy Way” and “Limited Liability Companies for Dummies.”
In the weeks before he got out of prison, Collins’ parents worried about their son. He’d become an adult while locked up. His father wondered: Had his boy matured psychologically?
Shortly after his release, Collins went to his parents’ Vancouver home seeking advice. That, Omar Collins notes with a smile, was something his son had not done before.
Collins had been warned about the sour economy and scarcity of jobs. But he was determined.
“I always felt like there’s nothing that can stop an individual as long as they put their mind to it,” he says. “I was like, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing but I know what I’m doing and getting a job is mandatory.’”
It didn’t take long for him to talk his way into an office, answering phones, filing and doing simple accounting. He had a hunch it wouldn’t last. His skills were rusty, and he admits he spent too much time on the Internet.
His back-up plan involved a trade apprentice program to become a roofer.
By the time he was laid off from the office job, Collins had lined up roofing work. But in August, with construction slow, he was laid off again.
These days Collins is working two jobs and says he may have to line up a third. He’s marketing gourmet cookware, and this week, he landed a second job canvassing customers for a home siding company.
Music remains his priority, and Collins invests money from performances back into his business, “Architect Entertainment LLC.”
Proceeds from his CD — $420 so far — go to FreeTheKids.org, a nonprofit that helps impoverished children in Haiti. Collins says he wants to use his music to create some good.
“I could take this money and buy T-shirts and stuff,” he says. “But to them it means so much more.”
Justin Heilenbach, the counselor who helped Collins make the transition from prison to the outside, says at least one in 10 of the young inmates he works with wants to be a rapper. Collins “is the only one who is doing it.”
Still on parole supervision, Collins has received permission to travel to other states for performances. This fall he flew to Miami and then on to Atlanta.
He sends reviews, show posters and pictures to his friends who are still locked up.
Nicholas McCarty, an inmate at a medium security prison near Salem, says he’s heard Collins on a local station, KXJM 107.5, on Saturday nights.
“For people that know him, it’s inspiring to hear his music,” says McCarty, 29. “He symbolizes to me the ability to use will to overcome obstacles.”
Collins says rap is all he ever wanted to do, all he and Felipe ever talked about. He knows it sounds strange, but he guesses he’d become a teacher if the music thing doesn’t work out.
But for now, rap is his world. And he feels as though Felipe is guiding him.
“I come across scenarios and opportunities, and I feel like he’s playing a role presenting them to me. Opening doors for me. You know what I mean? Like, ‘I can’t do it but you can do it for me. We can do it together.’”
Martin Gonzalez, Felipe’s father and a member of the Portland School Board, says he cried when he read the letter Collins wrote two years ago promising to be part of his grandson’s life.
“I have to tell you,” Gonzalez says, “that young man delivered on what he wrote.”
Among the other promises Collins has kept since his release is the one he made to himself.
He logged 23 misconduct violations during his time in prison. He has not had one parole violation since his release.
“As far as getting in trouble,” Collins says, “I let that go a long time ago.”
Bad Habitat is the hip-hop equivalent of The Three Musketeers, with the swagger of a young Rat Pack, and a style all their own. Forming early in the summer of 2008, Dru Manchu, Flawless, and Damian Grey have since stolen hundreds of shows, amassed a loyal fan base, and built a reputation as “One of the most underrated groups in the Portland hip-hop scene…” (Willamette Week). Intent on making intelligent, yet danceable music, Bad Habitat has developed an aggressive, progressive sound that incorporates real life lyricism mixed with over the top braggadocio and an original flavor of beats.
Although hip-hop at its core, their influences from a variety of genres have resulted in a brand new sound that shatters the traditional genre confines of what constitutes hip-hop, while remaining true to the roots of the art form. From true heads to casual hip hop fans, punk rockers to teeny boppers, Bad Habitat has managed to find firm footing on a previously undiscovered common ground, bridging the gaps between genres that have no rightful place blending together. Yet somehow, they make it work…
With more than three years performing experience behind each of them individually, (over a decade in Damian’s case) Bad Habitat’s combined lyrical prowess is just as impressive as the beats they choose to devour. Each member brings his own unique polished style to the table, be it the consistent punch-lines from Manchu, the quick attacking syllables from Flawless, or the raw emotion and “been there, done that” attitude of Damian Grey. Gaining attention with their high energy live show, they literally burst onto the scene, performing over 115 shows in their first year together. Bad Habitat has conquered almost every notable venue in their region, as well as traveling as far as Sacramento, CA and Seattle, WA, rocking heads along the way.
Regarding former member DJ Cuttah: He is presumed to be dead most likely eaten by Manbearpig or Opera.
Bad Habitat are the self proclaimed 3 Musketeers of NW hiphop, although their membership currently includes 4 members: emcees Dru-Manchu, Flawless, and Damian Grey, along with DJ Cuttah. Damian Grey is better known as Trafek of the long established SE Portland crew Trash Heap, and was the last member to join Bad Habitat. Dru-Manchu and Flawless are former members of the Portland supercrew The Surrealest. Despite being a recent addition to the NW hiphop scene Bad Habitat has already built a strong reputation centering around a high energy live show and the charisma of its members. Bad Habitat is based in Portland, Oregon.
Few hiphop performers can style a written flow as well as Sleepyhead, and even fewer can project a larger-than-life image of themselves on a listener who’s never seen them. His stellar recorded presence might lead to a mental picture of a six-foot scrapper with a battle record to match his spoken swagger. Were that the case, he might be Portland’s favorite rapper. But at five feet and change, and looking to be about 120 pounds, Sleepyhead—his nom de reality is Kevin Elder—is a bit like a tiny pilot who climbs into the cockpit of a hulking robot to record rap records. Good ones.
I first heard of Sleepyhead back in 2003 when a song of his, “Rip Van Winkle,” played on DJ Kez’s KBOO radio show. The slow, warm-hearted funk of the beat mixed with Sleepyhead’s cascading cadence reminded me of all the best elements of fun hiphop (which is probably why I taped the show and played back that song about five times in a row). “Rip Van Winkle” is on Sleepyhead’s first release, Narcolepsy, and to this day stands as one of my favorite tracks ever.
In the intervening five years since the release of Narcolepsy, Sleepyhead has dipped in and out of the local rap scene and now mostly collaborates with Portland electronica luminaries like Copy and Casiocity. The few times that I ran into him around town I would always bug him about making a new record, but to me it seemed like he had gotten his fill of the rap scene and had moved on to other creative endeavors. Thankfully, this month Sleepyhead has proven me wrong by dropping another stellar disc, No School.
A gradual change in Sleepyhead’s musical inspiration over the years is present in the production and overall sound of No School. The album features fewer sample-based creations and more glitchy tracks, a divergence that takes the record further from the traditional sonic meanders of hiphop and more toward the laptop beat scene. “[The change] really wasn’t intentional,” says Elder. “I just knew so many people making beats, and my friends are making those kinds of beats.”
This transition for Sleepyhead was not that surprising, and besides, Portland’s underground rap scene never really assimilated Sleepyhead—he of small stature, poof-ball hat, and thrift-store wardrobe. You can’t front on a guy for naturally gravitating toward friendlier stages. “[My music] is kind of leftfield in comparison to some of the other members of the hiphop scene around town,” he explains. “I’m really a [hiphop] purist in a sense. Still, you have to keep it interesting and stop recycling the same music over and over.”
While Sleepyhead is still making good hiphop, he’s just not creating it with the co-sign of many other established members of that group. Hip hop in Portland, and the nation over, has splintered, with fans of any one of its multiple shards not necessarily fans of the others. Still, true heads can appreciate good hip hop from the street side, the backpack side, and from anywhere else as well. Sleepyhead’s musical locale is not one populated by Timbs or LRG, but it is home to fresh beats and rhymes, and while it may be out of your comfort zone, that doesn’t mean it ain’t dope.
- The same is true for many Portland hip hop artists. While a few have came from gangster backgrounds, most are just normal hip hop people. What does that mean? well most folks have it rough growing up. That’s one of the main contributing factors for whether or not people like hip hop. Studies show that people who grew up poor or in broken homes gravitate to subversive culture like hip hop. That being said, Portland is not an extremely violent city. In fact it is very peaceful. There are random violent events and gang violence in certain neighborhoods, but for the most part the extent of the violence is street fights and bar brawls. While most “hip hop” music that can be found on the radio contains content about Money, Cars, Bitches and Drugs the real hip hop music that comes from the Portland hip hop scene is true to the roots of hip hop. It is about culture, the streets, life. It is conscious, open minded and enlightening. It can also be in your face, violent and offensive, but thats still a major step up from the garbage that plays thousands of times a day on the radio. While I am not familiar with Sleepy Head, I am familiar with a lot of hip hop artists in Portland, and this article could include any one of them as contenders for up and coming, unique, influential and brilliant hip hop artists.
“This one is from Santotzin of the real BROWN RECLUSE in Portland, Oregon
www.brownglass.com www.geocities.com/santotzin/Santotzin.ht ml
The Thorn gots mad styles…From Old Dominion to Evil Hands, Trash Heap to Jus Family. Crazy love to all the kids doin it and crazy peace to all the haters, support your locals and we’ll all come up, dummies! Peace to Manic D, MiNos, Uziah, Guzu, Jason “JJ” Cutta and my Brown Recluse homies. Check out: Afro Funk @Conans on Mon, Thorn City Improv @Ash Street Saloon on Tu, The Cut Hut @Cobalt Lounge on Wed and Trash Heap @Oak Grove Bar & Grill on Fri.Peace www.brownglass.com”
Word Santo
I don’t know if those shows are still going on but you can probably still catch most of those acts at those locations. Damian Grey aka Trafek of Trash Heap is now with Bad Habitat of Surreal Music and A Product of Broken Homes. They rock Club Calabash, Ash St, Pine St, Rodders, Barracuda, The Roseland, and Berbatis to name a few. Portland hip hop at its finest yo.
MYG and Indamix Records are a staple in Portland Hip Hop. As one of Portland Hip-Hops most succesful artists, MYG has made a name for himself online and on the streets.
