From the category archives:
Cleveland emcee, Donny Arcade isn’t exactly a newbie on KevinNottingham.com. You may remember the name from his recent full length debut, P.A.Y.O.R. or you may have caught his collabs with Phoenix Jones and DJ Chong Wizard or as part of the group The Plague Co. At any rate, if you’re not up on him, now’s your chance to get familiar. Hit the jump the get to know Donny Arcade…
You’ve seen Kida on the site quite a bit as he just recently unleashed his mixtape, The Endemic in January, followed by an untagged version, as well as a “ladies version” on Valentine’s Day. With producers such as The Real Focus, 9th Wonder, and DJ Khalil behind him, Kida got some people listening. If you haven’t caught up yet, hit the jump to get to know this emcee…
Truth Universal has been a fixture in the New Orleans underground scene. Inspired by the golden age emcees, the New Orleans based emcee has been following in their footsteps with each of his releases. With his latest project the Guerrilla Business EP set to drop next week, I got the chance to speak with TU on a variety a topics such as his upcoming EP, the Saints winning the Super Bowl and his rocky label situation with Paris’ Guerrilla Funk Records. Hit the jump to get to know the man known as Truth Universal.
Kam Moye is clearly one of the elite emcees in hip hop at the moment. After establishing himself as Supastition, the North Carolina native opted to switch to his real name in 2008 & begin a new phase in his career. With two critically acclaimed albums, 2002’s 7 Years of Bad Luck & 2005’s Chain Letters, and a couple of EP’s already in his catalog, Kam added to his impressive resume with 2009’s Splitting Image. In this in-depth interview, Kam speaks on a variety of topics including his transformation from Supastition to Kam Moye, his latest album, some advice for aspiring emcees and what projects he has in the works. Hit the jump for our spotlight on Kam Moye aka Supastition.
I got hip to MindState about a month ago when they sent me their Black Lung EP [download] that they had released a few months back. While checking it out on their Bandcamp page, I quickly became a fan and downloaded their entire catalog.
Two brothers, Dusk One and DJ Honna, hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah. They bring the soul and old school in a whole new school approach. Dusk hones roots stemming from classic singers like Otis Redding by keeping that rasp and grit in his voice. Honna is a veteran DJ with beats, chops and loops so strong they’ll put a beer in your hand and smile on your face. DJ Honna & Dusk are serious about not taking themselves too seriously. They’re not here to preach a message or save hip hop, just to provide you with something dope to bob your head to.
Hit the jump to get to know the duo known as MindState.
Mally, the soon to be 24 year of MC out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has the tools (delivery, strong mic presence, punch lines, and strong content) to be a major player in Hip-Hop. After receiving strong reviews for his third project, The Passion (here and here), he appears ready to make that push. We got the chance to speak with Mally about his beginnings as a MC, his name change, and what he has in store for the future. Hit the cut to get to know Mally.
King Mez is a name you’ll need to remember. With North Carolina’s hip hop scene experiencing a breakthrough in the 2000’s from the emergence of artists like Little Brother, Supastition & Median, the state has been a hot spot for hip hop. Mez is one of those highly talented newcomers like Kooley High or Thee Tom Hardy. We got the chance to speak with Mez about his thoughts on NC hip hop, how he came up in the game and what to expect form him this year. So here’s your chance to get to know King Mez.
L’Daialogue Dicaprio is putting on for Memphis. Linking up with producer MIDIMarc, L’Daialogue produced a new project portraying the struggle of the independent artist with InDAIpedent. He gained buzz & controversy from some for his Odd Daialogue series, employing Oddisee’s Odd Season EP’s for projects. We spoke with the Memphis emcee and covered topics like how he linked up with MIDIMarc, his thoughts on the current Memphis scene and clearing up the misconceptions about Oddisee’s approval of the Odd Daialogue series. Hit the jump to learn more about L’Daialogue Dicaprio.
We’ve been dropping exclusives from Ryan Perfect all week. Now, with the release of his EP “Searching: The Lyricist Lounge Sessions 2001-2003″ in tow, we caught up with Queens-bred MC -who’s first break came when Marley Marl gave the emcee a chance to spit a radio promo for his “Future Flavors” show, and later teamed up with DJ Enuff in 2003 to release his debut mixtape “Driving Hearses”- to tap into his Perfect mind.
Look out for the KevinNottingham.com sponsored Searching EP from Ryan Perfect dropping tomorrow. For now, hit the jump to get to know Ryan Perfect…
I just recently caught on to LA emcee Dumbfoundead through the collaboration he did with the homie Wax on “Hollyhoodrats.” After hearing his “Jam Session 2.0″ with other musicians across the web, I quickly became a fan and checked out some of his work on his Bandcamp page.
We chopped it up a bit with Dumbfoundead last week. Hit the jump to see what went down, but definitely check out dude’s YouTube page to really see the talent.
G5-Gi feels like now is as good a time as any to leave his mark on the industry. He has mainstream marketability, but his stand against “cookie cutter music” is what makes him appeal to all music lovers. Out of Upstate New York G5-Gi has an unique and distinctive sound. He initially got people listening after making an appearance on DJ Green Lantern’s Monster Mash volume 2 mixtape in early 2008. Shortly thereafter, he appeared on the So Far Gone Tour with Drake.
I just recently caught on to G5-Gi a few weeks ago, so hit the jump to get to know him…
William Cooper may be an unfamiliar name to some but it shouldn’t be. A vet in the hip hop game, Cooper gained the attention of many hip hop fans by being a member of the supergroup Black Market Militia. Teaming with Killah Priest, Hell Razah, Tragedy Khadafi & Timbo King, he created a critically acclaimed LP in their self titled Black Market Miltia. In 2009, it was time for Cooper to showcase his solo skills and he accomplished that with Beware of the Pale Horse. We got the chance to chop it up with the New Jersey emcee about his solo album, the origins of Black Market Milita, if we’ll see another BMM album & more. Hit the jump for your chance to know more about William Cooper
Chris Young The Rapper (born July 30, 1989) is an American rapper, producer & songwriter raised in San Diego, CA. Chris Young was accepted into college at the University of Arizona to major in Philosophy, but decided to drop out his 2nd semester to pursue his calling. In the Summer of 2008, Chris Young caught a ride to Los Angeles, CA with no money and no home, sleeping from couch to couch, booking shows on his own. In September 2008, he opened for Shwayze & Cisco Adler in Tucson, AZ at the Rialto Theatre. Immediately after hearing his demo, Cisco Adler let Chris Young tour with him, Shwayze, Tabi Bonney, Mickey Avalon and many more around the country. In April 2009, Chris Young released his 1st project entitled Mood Swing EP for free download which was received with acclaim. In August 2009, Chris Young signed his record deal with Cisco Adler’s Bananabeat Records and plans to change the face of music.
You can hear the freestyle talent of Chris Young on HiPNOTT Records 2010 Takeover, Vol 1. Hit the jump to get to know Chris Young…
Max Minelli is the heart of Baton Rouge hip hop. The man also known as Max Pain has been putting in work since the late 90’s and is still going strong. The veteran emcee has created classics like his solo Me & My Hustle, Simple & Plain as part of the duo Lay Lo with J-Von and group efforts with the Baton Rouge based collective Concentration Camp. In 2009, Max stormed back onto the scene with three outstanding releases- Backpack Dreams & Hip Hop Wishes, Pre-Med and Pain Medicine. And for 2010, he has no plans of slowing down. I had the chance to speak with Max as we talked about everything from how The Camp got started to his latest releases. Hit the jump to learn more about the one & only Max Minelli.
We first introduced you to Milwaukee emcee JC Poppe a few months ago when we featured his latest album, Sleep Therapy, on the site as Album of the Day. Since then, he has been signed on as one of the newest artists on HiPNOTT Records and his track with Guilty Simpson on the 2010 Takeover mixtape already has everyone talking. Look out for his upcoming debut on HiPNOTT Records later this year, but for now get to know JC Poppe…
