Hell Rell Releasing New Album ‘Live From Hell’ On November 3
One of the original members of NYC based hip hop crew Diplomats (Dipset) Hell Rell is back with ‘Live From Hell,’ a 12 track official album, his first in a year.
Born Durrell Muhammad raised in Bronx NY, he paints a visual picture of everyday life in NYC. Hell Rell is considered by many, including members of the Dipset crew, to be the leading street force. And for that he has developed an impressive ‘fanbase’. Featuring the singles Turn The Party Out and So Cold, Live From Hell will be in stores and online November 3, 2009.
NEW ‘Live From Hell’ Tracklisting:
1) Intro (2:22)
2) Turn The Party Out (2:56)
3) So Cold (3:09)
4) Close My Eyes (2:38)
5) Exterminate (3:01)
6) Return Of The Grind (2:48)
7) By Your Side (3:46) So Special (3:11)
9) Profit (4:19)
10) Top Gunna Takeover (3:28)
11) Greatness (1:56)
12) Motion Picture (3:39)
13) I Heard They’re Looking For Me (2:43)
CUSTOM MADE PRESENTS: “A LONG STORY SHORT” BY ELEMENT & ABSTRAKT SOUNDZ
“A Long Story Short” is finally here! After a phenomenal display of lyricism, wit, charm, appeal and dedication on his freshman solo mixtape “Great Expectations”, URB Magazine NEXT 1000 candidate Element, of the critically acclaimed Los Angeles based Hip-Hop collective, Custom Made returns with his highly anticipated succession “A Long Story Short.”
After wrapping up the latest Custom Made mixtape “The Lost Weekend”, the official group LP under Babygrande “Original Dynasty,” and selling over 43,000 copies worldwide of his first solo project “Great Expectations,” Element continues to deliver an array of passionate, real life stories that his fans yearn for. “Its extremely important that I spit the truth,” explains Element. “Things I see in my everyday life, things I?ve been through, stories that were told to me from my elders, or just a regular conversations I’ve had; I feed off of all of that then write about what touches me the most. That?s where the passion comes from.”
Even though this is a mixtape; with all original production and all new music, it sounds more like an album. This time around, All of the production is handled by Custom Made producer, Abstrakt Soundz.
“A Long Story Short” features Custom Made cohorts Bluff, Scoobs, Six, Skitzo and the lovely voice of singer Dena Fleming. It is the second installment of Element’s mixtape series and is also here to hold fans over while he polishes up his Official LP titled “Battle Cry.” With this release, Element is definitely defining his talents as a poet, his uniqueness as an emcee and his sincerity as a person all in “A Long Story Short.”
Custom Made Presents: A Long Story Short
Artist: Element (of Custom Made) // Produced by Abstrakt Soundz
Label: Custom Made Recordings
1. Radio ft Scoobs
2. Controlled Media (interLISTEN)
3. The Shining
4. My Dawgz ft Bluff, Scoobs, Six and Skitzo
5. Mic 2 The Thrizzoat
6. Self Explanatory
7. Black History Month
8. The Truth
9. Story (interLISTEN)
10. EveryDay
11. Got It Made
12. A Long Story Short ft Dena
Here is the latest from Mr. CG and New Boyz “Boogie Board 9000 (Rmx)” – this song has people all over the Midwest and South creating their own versions of the Boogie Board dance video on YouTube. Official video will be out in the next few days!
Mr. CG, formerly of the Pop It Off Boyz who did “Crank Dat Batman,” is solo now, and working on a new album with former NBA player Troy Hudson’s Hudson Records imprint.
Mr. CG Bio
Dance crazes, skinny jeans, delicious twists on American slang and colorful accessories are all a part of the new-age influence on today’s popular music. Call it a renaissance if you will, as young people fuse splashes of Hip Hop, rock, punk and pop culture regenerated from the ‘80s and early ‘90s to create their own exciting new scene.
At just 17-years-old, songwriter/producer Mr. CG is creating another part of what will one day be a historic era. His current single “Boogie Board 9000” has fans across the country going wild with their versions of the dance video. Once a member of the Pop It Off Boys, known for their hit single “Crank Dat Batman,” Mr. CG is no stranger to the spotlight. As he prepares his solo debut album, the young performer is ready to unleash his futuristic cross-genre style on the world.
By the time he was 10-years-old, the Carbondale, Illinois native was set up with a studio from his encouraging parents. Mr. CG’s cousin helped him get a start on operating the equipment, and his fate was sealed. He began writing songs influenced by a variety of artists, and began to build a sound that he now describes as “a walking MP3 player.”
“I have everything to give to everyone, I can do anything when it comes to music,” CG says confidently. “To describe it in a word, I’m spazzing. My music is just like spazzed out. I travel everywhere and pick up a lot of different styles, then I make up my own style. I would say The Dream, Drake and Michael Jackson have influenced me the most.”
While “Boogie Board 9000” is a certified club hit, Mr. CG will bring a blend of styles to his full-length album. He has a very specific vision, even if he can’t fully convey it just yet. “I’m producing my own stuff for this project, but taking in from other producers as well,” he explains. “When I get in the studio and get ready to make tracks, it’s already there… I can hear it and visualize it before I even get to the studio. So it’s like when I touch the keyboard I already know what’s gonna come out.”
“When I created ‘Boogie Board 9000’, I went down to Atlanta because I wanted to feel the vibe down there,” he continues. “My friends Motion Sickness had a dance called Boogie Board 9000, and I was like ‘I should make a song out of that.’ When I listened to the Atlanta type of rap vibe, and how you could still sing too, I went in the studio and got a beat, put it together and it was real good.
“The follow-up single is called “G Shock” featuring Rich Kids out of Atlanta. They’re signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle label. It’s a real nice song – it’s pretty different. We’re trying to see if we could set up a deal to promote the G-Shock watches along with the song. I think that would be very great.”
Mr. CG prefers the life of a solo artist over being in a group, and he’s ready to accept responsibility for his work, and for his generation. “Everything changes every day, and Hip-Hop is changing. Everything that’s coming out now represents what us teens do. You’ll see a lot of people coming in real young that can’t rap, produce, sing and do other types of music and make it sound good. I just make everything sound good.”
“Honestly I just want to earn respect… most of these new people aren’t earning respect. I listen to Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, and all of the pop artists. I would love to work with them. We appeal to a crowd that older people can’t catch – they’re not gonna do it like we gonna do it.”
Please Stand By! Wale’s debut album, Attention Deficit, hits stores November 10th!
“The press picked me to be one of the dudes to blow up in hip-hop; let me do it. But when I do it, don’t praise me too hard, just let me do it again. I might be the best, but the world doesn’t know that yet. Then when I am number one, I will have to prove it every single time. And I will.” – Wale (full Bio below)
Check out this 15 second TV spot for the Attention Deficit!
Attention Deficit includes the hit “Chillin” featuring Lady Gaga and the new single “Pretty Girls” featuring Gucci Mane and Weensey of the Backyard Band. Be sure to check out “Pretty Girls” below!
Wale
Attention Deficit – In Stores November 10th
Allido Records/IGA
BIO
You pronounce his name: Wah-Lay! He brings many blessings on the mic and he’s from D.C. Rap heads and broader music fans know that the nation’s capital is both a blessing and a curse. It’s an intensely musical city, volatile, stratified, somewhat disenfranchised. Natives often chirp about the ‘crab-in-the-bucket’ syndrome when it comes to artists’ getting up and out. But without struggle there is no progress. And when they do get out, boy, watch out.
Twenty-four-year old Wale Folarin first broke out and broke ground in 2005, appearing in the Source magazine’s vaunted Unsigned Hype column—the same column that launched the careers of the Notorious B.I.G., Common, and Mobb Deep. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Wale was exposed to all sorts of music growing up. His father, a city cab driver, would field radio requests day and night from his wide-ranging clientele. He’d then bring these different sounds into his own family’s home. “His musical tastes were all over the place,” Wale grins. “By the time I was born, I got all of them. Of course, in D.C. we have the go-go influence; that’s the sound of my niche so to speak. Then my father loved African music; then I would hear records from Thriller to the Beatles to LL Cool J to Jay-Z to Camp Lo to everything from down South. I was listening to all that stuff.”
So many stimuli could prove distracting. Indeed, Wale wrestled with incorporating his array of musical influences into a finished product that was cohesive and fluid. “I kept coming back to Jay-Z’s The Black Album, how it was personal and musical,” he reflects. “I wanted to do an album like that because D.C. is musical. But when I sat down to write, I felt different every session. So the album is musical, but it doesn’t have one theme. When I felt something, I put it down. That’s why it’s called Attention: Deficit. I don’t speak on one thing. And I finally got comfortable with that; after all, there’s a lot I wanted to say.”
For years, Wale built his yen to speak. But it wasn’t for inactivity or sitting idly and thinking deep thoughts. Wale was a collegiate athlete when the Source column hit, playing football at Bowie State University. He’d previously played at both Robert Morris College and Virginia State University. In what little free time remained, he toured furiously on the strength of digital mixtapes such as Paint a Picture and Hate is the New Love. In 2007, he independently released the record “Good Girls,” which caught the ear of world-renowned DJ and producer Mark Ronson. The two felt instant creative synergy, and Wale signed to Ronson’s Allido records. That same year, the two performed at the legendary Glastonbury Music Festival and also at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Wale followed the grounds well with a string of successful mixtapes—such as 2008’s superlative Mixtape About Nothing and the recent gem Back to the Feature. Both the underground and the mainstream had taken notice; Wale graced a 2008 XXL Magazine cover, alongside upstart blue chippers Asher Roth, Kid Cudi and Charles Hamilton, as part of the magazine’s yearly Freshman 10 feature. Each year, XXL anoints ten MCs charged with leading hip-hop. Wale is at the very forefront of that movement.
Need another industry cosign? Try Hov himself. Jay-Z opened both his arms and his doors to the D.C. MC, signing Wale to his Roc Nation management company. Wale embraced the opportunity, for himself and his oft-maligned hometown. “When I first met with Jay, I was like: ‘I want to do 100,000 the first week, 50,000 in D.C.,” Wale harkens. “He was like: ‘Don’t think about putting D.C. on the map, don’t put that pressure on yourself because a lot of other people will put it on you,’” Wale reveals. “‘Just concentrate on making the best music you can and hope DC gets the attention it deserves.’ That’s one of the best pieces of advice Jay-Z ever gave me.”
The sage advice has paid off. Wale comes armed with his ambitious yet polished debut album, Attention: Deficit, dropping September 22nd. Released earlier this spring, first single “Chillin’” featuring Lady Gaga and produced by gifted beatsmiths Cool & Dre, has already damaged airwaves and dancefloors worldwide. Wale’s unorthodox delivery interweaves with Lady Gaga’s infectious, rambunctious melody. “I just wanted to do something fun,” he says of “Chillin.’ “It’s totally left from the rest of my album. I wanted to collaborate with somebody who’s never worked with a rapper to get the net as wide as I could— bring everybody into my world. Like, ‘Look dog, this is what these 300,000, 400,000 people have been talking about for years.’ This album will illustrate what people been talking about: creativity, showmanship, lyricism, impeccably written songs, everything that made people follow me from jump.”
Another joint to check for is “Mirror,” produced by Mark Ronson and featuring Bun B. “‘Mirror, tell me I’m the realest/All these other ni–as got gimmicks in their lyrics,’” Wale raps. “I can look at you without having a problem. I know who I am. ‘Mirror’ is all about integrity.” Elsewhere, find the fitting “Artistic Integrity Part 2,” also called “Center of Attention.” “I’m talking about the world from an artist’s point of view,” Wale informs. “There’s a line where I say people are ‘keeping up with Khloe and Kim [Kardashian], not the Obamas though.’ I’m analyzing people keeping with pop culture and America’s fascination with celebrity. When people get obsessed with it, it makes you wonder what are we doing with our lives?” But Attention: Deficit is not about preaching, it’s about sharing. Wale’s many facets are on glittering display. “My goal is to just connect with people,” he explains. “I think my album does that because I have big, unusual ideas. There are songs about insecurities, songs about love but from a dark side of it. Listeners will find something that makes sense to them.”
“No matter what, you keep growing,” he concludes. “It’s like I’ve done 1200-seat shows and sold them out. OK, I want to do 3,000 now. The press picked me to be one of the dudes to blow up in hip-hop; let me do it. But when I do it, don’t praise me too hard, just let me do it again. I might be the best, but the world doesn’t know that yet. Then when I am number one, I will have to prove it every single time. And I will.”
Rick Ross is back with his new group Triple C’s. The group members include Rick Ross, Gunplay, Torch and Young Breed. “Trickin’ off” Feat. Gucci Mane is the newest single off the album Custom Cars and Cycles that hits stores October 27th. Be sure to preview the songs on Imeem and pre-order your copy on Amazon.com today.
GUCCI MANE’S FIRST MAJOR LABEL RELEASE “THE STATE VS. RADRIC DAVIS” OUT DECEMBER 8, 2009
MTV POLLS ARE IN: GUCCI MANE IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST MC’S IN THE GAME
Burbank, CA – So Icey/Asylum/Warner Bros. Records are pleased to announce the release of Gucci Mane’s first major release, The State Vs. Radric Davis. The long-awaited album will make its way into stores December 8, 2009.
The State Vs. Radric Davis comes after a slew of independent releases, mixtapes and features over the past few years. It brings together some of the best production work from Polow Da Don, Drumma Boy, Sean Garrett, Mannie Fresh and others. Confirmed features so far include Usher, Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy and So Icey Entertainment family OJ Da Juiceman and Waka Flocka.
The news comes on the heels of the rapper being named the #6 Hottest MC currently in the game by MTV staffers and fans (see link below). The network justifies the decision in stating “no artist this year has more effectively merged the underground with the mainstream. He’s broken through in ‘09 and shined through the clouds of controversy that have continued to dampen his career.”
2009 has been a very busy year for the Atlanta native. Bridging the gap between the streets and mainstream, Gucci Mane elevated his profile by appearing on four Top 20 singles this summer including Mario’s “Break Up,” Trey Songz’ “LOL” featuring Soulja Boy, and landing the feature on Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed” remix and his own first single “Wasted.” Gucci Mane has been seemingly everywhere with more than 150 songs on over 40 different mixtapes and albums.
Despite his success, Gucci Mane remains true to his underground cult following who continue to demonstrate their devotion to the battle-tested hero. His set-up single “Wasted” featuring Plies with OJ Da Juiceman on the remix is the rapper’s most successful single to date. The song is currently nestled in at #2 on the urban mainstream radio chart and, with over 15 million plays on MySpace, it is currently the #5 most streamed song on all of MySpace. Gucci’s next single from the new album is “Spotlight,” which features 5-time Grammy Award winning R&B singer Usher and promises to capitalize on the rapper’s momentum in the mainstream and will surely be a strong, radio-ready follow-up for his ever-growing audience. While Gucci continues to release mixtapes, including his latest The Cold War series, the new album will contain ALL new, never-before-heard music and will include not only the mainstream hits, but also a slew of street anthems from Drumma Boy, Zaytoven, and Fat Boi.
Gucci Mane first came onto the scene in 2005 with his smash single “So Icey” featuring Young Jeezy off his debut album, Trap House. Disputes over the song’s rights resulted in a well-publicized and deadly beef between the two artists and would be the source of legal headaches for years to come. His follow-up album Back to the Trap House spawned the hit “Freaky Gurl” which peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks.
Swollen Members Leak “Bollywood Chick” Featuring Tech N9ne
***
When it came time to record their new studio album, “Armed To The Teeth”, Swollen Members pulled out all the stops and recorded tracks with Tech N9ne, Everlast and Slaine from La Coka Nostra, Glasses Malone, and Talib Kweli. Fans can download “Bollywood Chick”, the group’s collaboration with Tech N9ne, at http://www.zshare.net/download/672503291390c81d/
“The energy on ‘Bollywood Chick’ is amazing and it’s a club banger about to be smashing the airwaves. Tech N9ne blessed us with a sick verse, and he is an artist we have always had a lot of respect for,” commented Prevail from Swollen Members. “Make sure to keep checking our MySpace for the video, which we produced in LA with DJ Skee and his crew. The combination of song and video take ‘Bollywood Chick’ to the next level.”
Swollen Members’ sixth studio album, “Armed To The Teeth”, lands in stores October 27th, 2009, through Suburban Noize and Battle Axe Records.
SWOLLEN MEMBERS TOUR DATES:
Oct 21 – San Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones
Oct 22 – Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
Oct 23 – San Bernardino, CA @ San Manuel Amphitheater
Oct 24 – Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
Oct 25 – Las Vegas, NV @ Wasted Space
Oct 27 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Orpheum Theatre
Oct 30 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
Oct 31 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
Nov 02 – Ft. Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
Nov 03 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
Nov 04 – Salt Lake City @ Urban Lounge
Nov 05 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
Nov 06 – Bend, OR @ Domino Room
Nov 07 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Nov 08 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
Nov 09 – Nanaimo, BC@ Queens –
Nov 10 – Victoria, BC @ Elements
Nov 11 – Whistler, BC@ Moe Joe’s
Nov 12 – Vancouver, BC@ The Red Room on Richards
Nov 13 – Kamloops, BC@ Chrome City Night Club
Nov 14 – Lethbridge, ALTA@ Blarney Stone
Nov 17 – Calgary, ALTA@ Back Alley
Nov 18 – Edmonton, ALTA@ U of Alberta
Nov 19 – Sylvan Lake, ALTA @ Chef Francisco
Nov 21 – Winnipeg, MB@ Pyramid
Nov 23 – Fort Frances, ONT@ Townshend Theatre
Nov 24 – Thunder Bay, ONT@ The Roxy
Nov 25 – Sault Ste Marie, ONT@ Canadian Nightclub
Nov 26 – Cobalt, ONT@ Cobalt Classic Theatre
Nov 28 – Ottawa, ONT @ Ritual Nightclub
Dec 02 – Toronto. ONT @ Lee’s Palace
Dec 03 – Waterloo, ONT @ Starlight
Dec 04 – St Catherines, ONT@ Mikado
Wed Oct 21 – NY – Hype Machine CMJ Event @ Santos (daytime)
Wed Oct 21 – NY – Bowery Ballroom (night)
Fri Oct 23 – NY – High Rise @ Norwood (RSVP/Invite Only) dj-set
Sat Oct 24 – NY – The Windish Agency CMJ Event @ Santos (night)
Mon Oct 26 – The Roxy (with VV Brown) – Los Angeles, CA
R&B/Soul vocalist CHANJ challenges the ideals of the music industry and takes on popular beats from Drake, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z on “…in the name of YOU” mixtape!
“Music is the soundtrack of our lives. It accompanies our desires, moods, victories, heartbreaks, our joys and our fears. The beauty that comes together when voice meets instrumentation thrills the depths of me.” – CHANJ
Check out some selections from this eclectic collection!
CHANJ’s vocals soar on the emotional “Of You And I” about the yearning for a lost love. The lyrics are perfectly complimented by the 80’s inspired pop/rock production of “Doesn’t Mean Anything” by Alicia Keys.
On “Struck By Lighting” CHANJ tells the story of a very unique meeting with a beautiful woman. The pulsating and synth-heavy production showcases CHANJ diving into new musical territory.
Tracklisting
1. Intro
2. Chanj This Game feat. E-rif Da Great
3. Superhero
4. Struck By Lightning
5. Let Me Show U
6. Unexpected feat. KayTee
7. Nevermind feat. Drake
8. Warning Song feat. D’Yon & A-natural
9. 2Kool (BlockStars’ IcyHot Remix) feat. E-rif & D Roy-X
10. Since I Ain’t Wit U
11. Raspberry Sunshine
12. Successful feat. A-natural
13. She Loves Hard
14. Of You and I
15. It Could Be Worse
16. Better Love feat. Kaytee & JayRead
17. Time Traveler feat. A-natural & E.L (Lauryn Hill outro)
…in the name of YOU
This art that I have gathered together, along side very talented and gifted musicians, is for not only your enjoyment but your enlightenment.
So please sit back and blast loud as you take a journey through my experience and passion of expression.
In Hip-Hop addressing and or discussing homosexuality is like addressing the “Elephant In The Room” as its undeniably one of the cultures most taboo and debated topics. Whatever your feelings might be about the topic (pro or con) for an artist in the Urban Culture to even broach the topic represents risk. That said, you have to give it up to SoulStice for pushing the envelope (which is what artists are supposed to do), addressing it and doing so in an objective and educated manner. This undeniably falls into the “it takes a strong man to stand up for yourself, but it takes a brave man to standup for others” category. Personally, I feel SoulStice should be applauded for even taking the risk and for having a big enough pair to do so.
Perhaps, SoulStice himself sums it up more eloquently…
“As a Black man in America that’s also part of an interracial marriage, I’ve experienced my share of prejudice and bigotry. We’ve come far on issues of race, but still have a ways to go. However, at this stage in the game, I feel like we’ve got even farther to go on issues relating to same-sex relationships and marriages. Love is love…we should have gotten that, if nothing else, from the musical legacies of artists like Michael and Stevie. It’s not a “safe” move for a hip hop artist to show this kind of support for the GLBT community. But as an artist, I feel like it’s my job to challenge the status quo, not just play into it or step around it. To me, being revolutionary means fighting not just for you and yours but for any community suffering injustice.”
So Special (3:11)
