Articles By: Julia Guthrie
Jay Rock – Follow Me Home album review
We all love a good come-up story. Like the one about P. Diddy’s rise to global fame from his humble beginnings in Harlem; or the one about Notorious B.I.G. selling drugs to get by and ending up one of the most respected rappers of our time. The most glorious come-ups though, in my humble opinion, happen when talented and influential rappers find validation within the rap community by saying what’s real without pandering to a mass, over-hyped audience and without [...]
Read more →Royce da 5’9″- Success is Certain review
2011 has already been a big year for Royce Da 5’9”. After releasing the Slaughterhouse EP with his group Slaughterhouse in February and Hell: the Sequel with Eminem in June, the Detroit rapper has emerged once again, this time bestowing upon us another solo project. Success is Certain is Royce’s fifth solo album, and after a solid period of collaborations, he has made sure his own voice will be heard. Success is Certain gives Royce another chance to shine on [...]
Read more →Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch the Throne review
Православни икониIn a collaboration that almost seems mythical, two of rap’s biggest moguls –and personalities– have come together to create a grandiose album that is, for better or worse, turning a lot of heads. Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne dropped on August 8th, and, much like the current political climate of the time, it seems the American mainstream public couldn’t be more divided about its response. When two of rap’s most controversial idols join forces, bringing their egos [...]
Read more →Wu-Tang Clan – Legendary Weapons album review
I assume it doesn’t need to be said that Wu-Tang Clan isn’t the everyday conventional group of rappers. But for the purpose of this writing, I think it’s important to highlight just how unconventional they are, and why they don’t have any place on the radio. Wait, don’t panic, this is a good thing. Wu-Tang has always said what no one else wants to say and many don’t want to hear, and that’s what makes them one of the most [...]
Read more →DJ Khaled – We the Best Forever album review
If you’re going to call your album We the Best Forever, in my humble opinion the album should probably all but shit gold. Now, if we’re talking about record sales alone, then DJ Khaled’s We the Best Forever is probably going to do just that. That’s because Lil’ Wayne, Birdman, T-Pain, Chris Brown, Drake, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Twista, Ludacris, and Akon make up the elite circle of big boys that grace this album. Don’t get me wrong, each and [...]
Read more →Show review – Slightly Stoopid at Marymoor Park, Redmond, Washington
It wouldn’t be a lie to say that for the past two years, the Slightly Stoopid show at Redmond’s Marymoor Park has commanded the spot of number one concert of the year in my book. Formed in 1996, this Long Beach, California reggae-rock-hip-hop fusion band is most notably known for its surfer attitude and stoner style. That’s right – if you’ve got anything whatsoever against the smoking of, consumption, possession, or association with marijuana, Stoopid’s shows are probably not going [...]
Read more →Capitol Hill Block Party festival review
Last weekend’s Capitol Hill Block Party provided the setting for some 70 up-and-coming indie bands to showcase their offbeat repertoires and whimsical numbers. The 15th annual Block Party hosted bands from all over the country, but, as tradition dictates, focused specially on Northwest groups. The festival was held over a three-day period of sun and heat in Seattle’s trendy Capitol Hill neighborhood – one that’s famous for its gay-friendly scene and Bohemian vibe. A landscape of free spirits chugging down [...]
Read more →Rockie Fresh Interview
MVRemix: How long have you actually been rapping? How did you get started? Rockie Fresh: I’ve been rapping since I was in high school. I used to just kick freestyles for people and with friends, and it grew on me and eventually I decided to take it seriously and start recording. MVRemix: In 2009, you dropped Rockie’s Modern Life. What do you think is different about you and your sound on The Otherside? Rockie Fresh: I’d say the main difference [...]
Read more →The Cool Kids – When Fish Ride Bicycles album review
With their first full-length album, When Fish Ride Bicycles, The Cool Kids finally get to prove to the world they really are that cool. After a string of impressive mixtapes and a years-long period of record label uncertainty, the Midwestern duo, consisting of Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, delivers a polished, cohesive, record that accurately represents just what those kids are – and have always been — all about. Put simply, The Cool Kids are all about the beat. That’s [...]
Read more →Show review – Beats Antique/Shpongle at the Paramount, Seattle
It’s a sticky Seattle Saturday night, and outside downtown’s illustrious Paramount theater congregate swaths of young’uns and elderly alike, all there for the collective cause of getting down to some fresh beats. I scan the crowd surrounding the Paramount’s entrance, noticing everyone from candy ravers to…hey…aren’t they that one old couple I saw getting jiggy and making out at that last rave? I digress; the point is, the mystical combination of Oakland’s Beats Antique and England’s psychedelic project Shpongle has [...]
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