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…
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.
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…
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…
The Raid’s rap style has not only been influenced by Hip-Hop pioneers, but also Rock, R&B, Classical, and other genres of music. In addition to his skills as an emcee, The Raid also plays numerous instruments and produces his own music.
We just blessed you all with a link to his debut album, Primordial [download]; now get to know the man in his own words.
Philly based rapper Lawrence Arnell was signed to Tommy Boy Records at the age of 19, along with the collective The Deadly Snakes. The Deadly Snakes had tour dates on the Lyricist Lounge Tour and a placement on the Black Mask soundtrack. Unfortunately, The Deadly Snakes were released from their deal. Lawrence fell back from the music scene, but has returned to the game along with Dave Ghetto and Dame Anthony to form Ghetto Rock Star. Enough of the talking….lets get to know Lawrence Arnell.
When I first heard Ohini Jonez, I knew he had a gift that needed to be shared. Offering a unique blend of storytelling with southern flavor, Ohini is poised to make an impact. With his music finally getting its deserved exposure, opportunities are opening up for the Georgia emcee. After an active 2009, 2010 looks to be a big year with lots of projects planned and talented producers like Tokyo Cigar, Danimal, Jack Boi, Lakim & his cousin Scoota working with him. Paper Street Music is the movement, here’s your chance to get to know Ohini Jonez!
For our one of last Producer Spotlights of 2009, I wanted to showcase someone that I personally believe in 110%. I first got hip to G.C.’s production about a year and a half ago during one of our weekly remix contests. Soon after, I became his manager and have worked with G.C. on countless projects this past year. Since we are releasing his first compilation mixtape today [download], it was only right to give G.C. the spotlight and let you know the man behind the beats.
Hit the cut to get to know G.C…..
As hip hop naturally explores new dimensions of sound, refreshingly, BP & ODDS bring listeners back in a way that pays homage to, upholds tradition of, and adds their own flavor atop honest hip hop music from the soul. Boom bap: not a common phrase used when talking about hip hop out of Los Angeles, describes the sound, vibration, and overall philosophy of BP & ODDS’ music; speaking to the emphasis placed on beats and rhymes. In the fashion of EPMD, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, and Gang Starr to name a few, BP & ODDS look to add to the collection of prolific producer/MC duos with their brand of original hiphop music.
Imagine intricate, heart-felt lyrics from a true, West Coast MC, over illustrious basslines, snappy-swingy drums, and melodic-yet-hypnotizing sounds creating a boom bap-inspired-2009 till infinity-on a -quest-type vibe with utmost respect for the culture. This is truly west coast hiphop unheard: explorative MCing and undeniably dope beats.
We get a TON of music here at KevinNottingham.com and every now and then there will be a submission that gets me personally excited… something that tells me “wow, these cats get it; they breathe this hip hop shit.” This emcee/producer team from the Bay area, TAO & Defizit, did just that. Two young cats who grew up listening to nothing by hip hop… this is the new generation.
Hit the jump to get to know TAO & Defizit and download their project, Before We Knew!
Hailing from Philadelphia, MiC K!NG (formerly iCON the Mic King) has had a long career and first gained notoriety on the battle circuit. Winner of several rap battle competitions around the globe, MiC K!NG proved his ability to create lyrics on the spot, and achieved success in this arena until 2001, when he officially retired from battling to pursue composition and recording as a solo artist. In 2004, he released his first studio album Intricate Spectrum and has since released Mike and the Fatman and Rent Money Music II: C-Notes for the Car Note. His latest release, Flavor Ade with producer Chum as the group Cool Aide, MiC K!NG shows that he’s in this game for good.
We had the opportunity to cut it up with MiC K!NG. Hit the jump to see what went down…
One of my favorite albums as of late is God’s Favorites by WEB and production trio I.D.e.A. I.D.e.A is comprised of producers Syrenn, Fyness, and Tecknowledgy (not pictured above).
Seeing that this was the first I had heard of this production team, I just had to hit them up and see what they’re all about. Hit the jump to get to know I.D.e.A…
For Elohim Marino hip-hop is a religion, a culture preserved by it’s faithful listeners, creative producers and lyricists. Born into a politically conscious home and the son of a successful Jamaican musician from the 80’s has been the core influence in his career. He is versatile, intriguing, refreshingly unique with already a catalog of timeless records. Elohim is street, political and socially conscious. His music is food for thought. The very essence of the genre, Elohim is hip-hop.
Hit the jump to get to know Elohim Marino…
