10.31.2008
Spotlight: Joy Luv
Since coming into our lives, this young Lower East Side native has really added another dimension to The Projectivity Movement and all of the music coming out of The House Of Dreams in general. With a big voice for such a little person, Joy Luv can captivate a room and J. Glaze immediately recognized their symmetry. Since connecting, the two put in almost four months straight of constant writing and recording in the Projectivity basement. She basically moved in to The House Of Dreams for this time. The two only left the basement to sleep, shower, and eat!!! Now that all the tracks have been recorded, J.Glaze has set to work on a short demo to be shopped to the Major Labels. Recently Joy Luv has been seen performing in New York City with The Higher Concept and live hip hop/funk band, Sophistafunk. For more on Ms. Luv check out her out at www.myspace.com/joyluvnyc
-IB
10.30.2008
Addicting Games
Addictinggames.com
This is a great website for the bored computer browser. Nothing that involves to much brain power or energy here. Just good old fashioned time wasting fun. One of my favorites is The Boneless Girl. Check it out and more at www.addictinggames.com
-IB
Addictinggames.com
10.29.2008
Mark D - Blast4Me Music Video
"Blast4me" Mark D from john colombo on Vimeo.
Here is Zudu Records affiliate and Projectivity compadre Mark D's new music video, directed by Jon Colombo. Check it out, most of it was filmed at The House of Dreams!
also check out Mark D's myspace for more info on his newly released album, "Blast4Me"
-MATTY J
10.28.2008
Review: Skillz - Million Dollar Backpack
Skillz is a name everyone knows but nobody knows. The reason you know him is because he’s dope! The reason you don’t know him is because he has never put out a good album. His last 3 albums have just been collections of his older songs, which has been disappointing. I understand that he has new distribution each time so he wants his songs to get out to everyone, but I KNOW he’s got some tracks stacked up, right? He couldn’t have sold ALL his rhymes to Puffy. So I was far from holding my breath as I went to listen to his new album, “Million Dollar Backpack.” I was, however, proven wrong in this case (first time ever). Also, my boy from Syracuse, Leonard Stevens (E Flat) got one of his beats on the album. E Flat’s song, “My Phone” is a story about how Skillz has many famous women in his cell phone. The beat is great, in the classic, kickback style of E Flat. Leonard plays steel lap guitar like no one I’ve ever seen or heard, and you can hear it shine on this song.
Lyrics - 4
Production – 4
Flow – 4.5
Albumness – 3.5
Overall - 4
-matty j
all of the ratings will be out of a 5 point system. obviously we won't be rating horrible albums, so all of the albums SHOULD be in the upper range, but who knows, one of us could be having a bad day when we do the review. BUT DON'T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT!
flow - is how the emcees ride the beat and what their cadence is. this may also include evaluation on the emcees' voice and tone.
lyrical content - is what the rappers are ACTUALLY SAYING. we know that nobody listens to anything but the beat nowadays, but bear with us.
production - is the quality of the beats and other musical content on the album. thank god for 9th!
album-ness - how all the songs are cohesively arranged on the album and the overall feel of the album.
overall - self-explanatory.
10.27.2008
Scribblejam Letter
THC also has had a vendor booth for the past two years, and this year an odd thing happened. One the second day, there was a piece of paper sitting at our booth. On the paper was a poem, and an amazing one at that. No author, no signature, nothing.
So we now present the poem in its entirety and if you are the one who wrote it, holleratchaboys for some free shiiiit.
-MATTY J
Air. What we breathe. Without it we die. the simplest thing ever. but how simple it is, what is the essense of this mysterious being. it is widely acepted that the contents of air are nitrogen (78.09%), oxygen (20.95%), argon (.93%), carbon dioxide (.03%) and other trace gases (.003%).
these mean nothing to the average person. just scientific terms. numbers. jibberish.
these are technically compounds, made of a series of elements. but what are elements, scientifically elements are made of many connecting particles entwined together. a lot like a spider web.
our world is basically things made out of things, ideas made out of ideas, theories, philosophies. gibberish.
particles are simply made of molecules which are made up of atoms.
atoms. what small things. not visible to the human eye with the best vision. still unable to be seen even through a microscope.
at the very center of the atom is a nucleus.
this nucleus is made of protons and electrons. protons=positive, electrons=negative.
this is something we hear on a daily basis, good vs evil. this concept is in our movies, books, religion, the list goes on.
proton. electron, atom, air, science, jibberish.
humans who call themselves scientists believe the smallest entity is called an elemental particle.
i believe they are wrong.
it is to my beliefs that the smallest entity, the very base of which everything that is, ever will be or ever has been is made of simple possibilities.
it is true that a possibility is not a physical being but an unreachable, unrealistic, impossible being.
i am suggesting that all and everything is in fact made of nothing, or nothingness.
it could almost be considered a primitive form of emotion, as in happiness, anger, lust, or even jealousy.
next time you find yourself wandering through a man-made jungle of concrete and asphalt as simple as glenmore or montana avenues, try to wrap your mind around the fact that cars that pass of the grass that surrounds you could possibly be made of something as simple as anger itself.
When you do, you will more than likely find yourself deep in thought as I find myself now. As that thought branches into a tree of questions and answers in your mind it is important that you remember that the initial thought of the origin of all that is all and all that is nothing is simply made of possibilities in itself.
I’m finding myself rambling now and think its best that I stop now and end all this gibberish.
10.24.2008
Digital Gravel: Independent Clothing Catalog
DIGITAL GRAVEL
Not as serious as it sounds but fulfilling none the less. Digital Gravel is one of the top online indie T-shirt and clothing sites. Indie T-shirts? Yes, as I'm sure most have seen there is a new breed of clothing adorning the likes of everyone from hipsters to mainstream rappers that represents a new theme in fashion which stresses art, music, politics, satire, and messages relevant to all different modern lifestyles. Some of the more notable brands which have not yet been fully adapted into major department stores include LRG, 10 DEEP, Obey, and Upper Playground. Digital Gravel is a great source for all for all of these as well as smaller but rapidly growing companies such as The Hundreds, GreenAppleTree, and Akomplice which sponsors southern underground hip-hop group CunnynLinguists. Digitial Gravel also has begun carrying asorted household items such as furniture, toys, and books all designed for the like minded lifestyles interested in expressing themselves everywhere they can, down to their pillow case.
-Tekst
DIGITAL GRAVEL
10.23.2008
6 Degrees: Charity Network
6 Degrees
Actually this does have to do with Kevin Bacon, but no game is involved. He is one of the celebrity spokepeople for a wesbite that allows user to locate charities through a number of different searching features. Anyone that has every thought about getting involved with a charity, now is more of an important time than ever before. This website is no great charity in and of itself, but it is a great database to find any cause you might be interested in and different groups that are doing sojmething about those causes. You can search through cities or through categories or keywords. It also allows you to create a little widget to post in social networks or websites that show your connection to them and how other people can easily get involved by clicking that link. Its a great way for anyone that has every wanted to do good to find a charity easy, and then help promote it to friends that might also want to help the cause, whatever it may be. As THC always says, there is always a message involved.
-Tekst
6 Degrees
10.22.2008
Spotlight: Justin Boland
Dr. Boland to the ER, Dr. Boland to the ER! In the days where Hiphop is NOT dead, but in ICU hooked up to the machine, we need someone who can come in and save our precious loved one. Enter Hump Jones. Now let me tell you the story about how THC met the one and only DJ MSP. Before leaving from Syracuse to go to a show we had in Buffalo at Broadway Joe’s, we got a call from Whoizzy from Constant Climax. He asked if we could bring one of the other acts with us to the show, because he couldn’t get to his train in time. Of course, being the upstanding hiphoppers we are, we obliged. The guy we picked up was polite and quiet, and he stayed that way for the whole trip. But once he jumped on stage, he became a whole ‘nother other type of dude. In a matter of seconds we were enthralled and surprised. Even after he left 20 minutes after his set to catch another train to Ohio, we didn’t know just how on point Wombaticus was. From hiphop to Generation 5 Warfare, Justin knows what’s going on in the world today. The site Audible Hype is a MUST SEE for anyone who takes making music seriously. Brainsturbator, Skilluminati, and Wishtank are all too complex and interesting to discuss, so you are going to have to check them out yourself. Suffice to say that with each click your mind gets blown a little more.
So get to know this musical genius and entrepreneur NOW! You will thank yourself in the morning.
Skilluminati - http://www.skilluminati.com/
Brainsturbator - http://www.brainsturbator.com/
Audible hype - http://www.audiblehype.com/
Humpjones - http://www.humpjones.com/
Wishtank - http://www.wishtank.org/
-Matty J
10.21.2008
Review: GZA - Protools
"All I need is a beat with a continuous loop, and live vibe that'll hypnotize like a flute" If there is anyone that can create a great album with just that, its the Genius/GZA. His newest release Protools sounds like a classic, but I can't tell if its a classic from 1996 or from 2008, no matter classic none the less. As heard on his last release "Grand Masters" with DJ Muggs, GZA demonstrated his ability to keep things simple with production but still elevate the mental with his visual rhymes and stories. On Protools, the sound is nothing different. GZA captivates the listeners with his elaborate lines and minimal hooks. He keeps it real. As evidenced in all of GZA's catalog, he wont make songs about bullshit. And while many debate the purpose of "Paper Plates", GZA's shot at 50 Cent, I personally thought it to be extemely entertaining and necessary right now to show hip-hop is still alive and strong, and ready to fight back at a moments notice against the foolsih non-sense brought forth by today's Top 40 rappers.
Production - 4 1/2
Flow - 5
Content - 3
Album-ness - 4
Overall - 4
-Tekst
10.17.2008
Dovman - "Trouble" Video
One of THC's dear friends Dovman came out to SI recently to record the first track of his album tentatively titled "With No 'E': An Honest Abes Production". Original lyrics and piano by Dovman, with drums laid down by none other than Tekst of THC, who also took care of the engineering.
So HOLLERATCHABOY and get into trouble with meeeee, alright alright, alriiiight....
...is there any time you've got to be home by?...........
-MATTY J
10.16.2008
Financial Crisis... Across the World?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_meltdown
You can make your own conclusions about what is to come of all this, but if you can't look at the signs and see that we are falling more and more into a Depression, not only in the US but across the world, then you are simply living in denial. Like I said, results of all this are very open ended, and as I write I dare not offer any attempt at insight into the possible resolutions of our failing economy, however I do encourage anyone that has any interest in what their lives will be like in the next 5-10-20 years to begin questioning the motives of institutions that are claiming to "help us" in this time of economic and global turmoil. Specifically the actions of the US Federal Reserve and other banks mentioned in the article such as the European Central Bank and Swiss National Bank. There are many places to get information about whats happening but it is important to be open minded about all possible scenarios of things that can happen because of everything we are experieincing now. That is why to conclude this post, I highly encourage anyone that can to view Zeitgeist II, the sequel to the amazingly popular viral video clips that broke down staggering information about the formation of all institutions including religion, industry, and media, but most specifically about our government and the US Federal Reserve. Please keep in mind, that I only advocate this video ALONG WITH any other informative articles or educated sources of information from any viewpoint, right or left, conformist or non-conformist, all so you can MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND about whats going on and what to do about it.
-TEKST
10.15.2008
Spotlight: Cloudkickers Original
This article appeared in the Staten Island Advance's AWE section, written by Ben Johnson.
VIRTUAL RUNWAY: Cloudkickers.com, MySpace.com/cloudkickers
Since Cloud Kicker got started about a year ago, creator Mike DiSilvestri has kept local music in mind. You'll see the company's limited edition silkscreen T-shirts and hoodies on the backs of DJ Emilio "Sparks" Medugno and rapper Crucial Tactics. One print of sneakers tied together and thrown over a power line even features Tactics' own logo.
"It definitely goes hand in hand," says DiSilvestri, 24, of Bulls Head, when asked about music and clothing. "I'm working in the circles of the music industry to try and get my gear out to any artists that I can, because it really helps me promote my brand."
DiSilvestri just got back from Arizona, where he passed on some goods to Juice, a West Coast protege of rapper The Game, but he says that CK, which employs three S.I.-based designers, is still small time.
"We haven't done anything corporate or big yet, and we're just getting into some small mom-and-pop stores," says the local CEO, who organizes the business of the brand and works with designers. "We're in Infinity Records on Hylan Boulevard, which sells music and clothing, and we're working on contracts with CD Skateshop and Richmond Hood Company. Our clothing sort of follows what's happening right now, this combination with the hip-hop and skater look."
DiSilvestri says the '80s babies who grew up with comics and bright-colored toys are following those same tastes now to buy colorful limited-edition fitted caps and Nike kicks to brighten up their young-adult life. You'll likely notice that the eyes in the company's logo -- a pop art cloud flashing a mischievous grin -- are actually sneakers, reflecting the young businessman's ideas about fashion. As a clothing maker, he's excited that people are responding to these tastes, and the increasing crossover between music and fashion, but as a longtime fan of hip-hop, he's a little cautious, too.
"You've got the four elements of hip-hop -- MCing, DJing, graffiti and break-dancing -- and within the past couple of years, there's been a questioning of whether fashion should be the fifth," DiSilvestri says. "But where before you had basic solid colors-- black, white, gray -- now you've got artists like Pharrell and The Cool Kids wearing lime green, teal, yellow, stuff like that. Now you've got hip-hop people working with electro bands, rock bands. That's really unusual and I think it brings people and different races together -- and that's a very good thing."
-TEKST
10.14.2008
Review: Elzhi - The Preface
Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, I bring you a CD in true Projectivity fashion. If you don’t know the name, learn it. Elzhi is the real deal. I had first heard Elzhi on some Slum Village shit back when I was in High School. Those were the days of blind ignorance, when any music with a hint of a commercial style or sound was immediately thrown out the window. I never gave Slum Village much of a chance until I heard Elzhi on the Little Brother CD and his verses were ridiculously on point. I wanted more… So you can imagine how excited I was for Elzhi’s newest release “The Preface”.
From the opening track to the final cut, Elzhi does not disappoint. His opening statement to the listeners, “Whats up with this rap game? Shit is all fucked up. I know you heard that bullshit on the radio, I’m tired of that shit.” And with that the lyrical gems start. At first I was worried that this would be an album with battle style rhymes, a great flow, and not much content, but this album has concept after concept and is one of the most original albums I have heard in some time.
On “Guessing Game”, Elzhi says the first syllable of a world and then gives his listeners time to fill in the blanks, “Colors” has Elzhi using as many colors as he can in each verse, the songs “D.E.M.O.N.S.” is a giant acronym, and “Talking In My Dreams” shows what goes on in Elzhi’s subconscience while he sleeps as the verses jump from dream to dream. These songs are only the tip of the iceberg.
The production is very consistent all the way through. Black Milk provides just the right bangers to laid back beat ratio and all of the beats fit into that classic sound. The Preface has rich content all the way from beginning to end and should not be missed. I honestly can’t pick a favorite song. I love any song that makes you have to play it back to fully understand what’s going and this album is filled with them.
-IB
Flow - 5
Lyrical Content - 4.5
Beats - 4
Album-ness - 4
Overall - 4.5
10.13.2008
Overspray Mag
Overspray Magazine
Another recent find for all you art fans out there comes from a fast growing urban/street art magazine Overspray. The mag covers a large range of international artists and all facets of the modern "urban" art movement. They currently ship to over 1,000 Barnes Noble bookstores across the country, so for those that still buy their books in chain stores, this mag is easy to find. Whats more even more accessible and with ten times more updated material is the Overspray Magazine Fishbowl blog. It is updated daily by a number of artist contributors, one of who is a good THC friend, Ramiz the Manchild of Subliminal Twinkeez. Be sure to hop over there every now and again for your fix of all things artistic.
-TEKST
Overspray Magazine
10.10.2008
Kurupt Freestyle @ The House of Dreams!
Kurupt (yes, that Kurupt) came to stay at the HOD this last week to record tracks for a new album he is putting out exclusively with beats by J. Glaze.
Take a glimpse!
Outta my, Outta my...
-MATTY J
10.08.2008
FreeRice.com
Free Rice
Free rice is an ad-sponsored charity that makes contributions based upon how well you know your English vocab. This is no 7th grade introduction, however. They use colloquialisms, industry terminology, and, of course, the dictionary to test your knowledge. The bad thing is that each 20 grain donation of rice is distributed through the UN World Food Program, so I doubt that the rice is even getting to the people who need it, but regardless it is still stimulates your brain more than Snood. Also, they just updated the program and now you can choose the level you start on. Go ahead, give Level 60 a try, your guess is as good as mine…
-MATTY J
Free Rice
10.07.2008
Review: Gym Class Heroes - The Quilt
Being from Syracuse, I have been following Gym Class Heroes since they dropped their first album, “For the Kids.” It’s not really fair to the band to compare the initial incarnation of the group to the new stuff, since money can pay for some great engineering. I loved the first album for its uniqueness, although I suppose I was partial to the hiphop band since The Roots are my favorite hands down. But it was a good album, and I also enjoyed watching the band evolve over the next two albums. Which brings us to this album. The production is amazing, the beats stand out on almost every song. I love good music regardless of genre, and more and more of GCH’s new shit is going towards a category of music I like to call “universal.” I put people like The Roots, Blackalicious and K-Os in this category. By “universal” I mean there’s a little it of something for everyone in their music. Travis is dope I don’t care who you are, so the lyrics are always on point and funny. IB said it best when he said that Travis is our age exactly so the things he talks about and the inside jokes he makes about growing up resonate with us especially well. His flow is always fresh and unique, a joy to listen to and he inspires me to flip up my flow when I’m writing my own stuff. My favorite cut is “Don’t Tell Me It’s Over.” Now this review is over.
-MATTY J
PRODUCTION - 4
ALBUM-NESS - 3 1/2
OVERALL - 3 1/2
NOTE:
all of the ratings will be out of a 5 point system. obviously we won't be rating horrible albums, so all of the albums SHOULD be in the upper range, but who knows, one of us could be having a bad day when we do the review. BUT DON'T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT!
flow - is how the emcees ride the beat and what their cadence is. this may also include evaluation on the emcees' voice and tone.
lyrical content - is what the rappers are ACTUALLY SAYING. we know that nobody listens to anything but the beat nowadays, but bear with us.
production - is the quality of the beats and other musical content on the album. thank god for 9th!
album-ness - how all the songs are cohesively arranged on the album and the overall feel of the album.
overall - self-explanatory.
10.06.2008
Dotcalm Podcast Mixtape #3
ARTIST – SONG (ALBUM)
1. DJ Shadow ft. Phonte (The Outsider)
2. Flobots - Combat (Fight With Tools)
3. The Higher Concept – I Don’t Know Why (Masters Collection)
4. Cee-Lo – Living Again (Cee-Lo Green is he Soul Machine)
5. Joy Luv – Let The Music Change You (Joy Luv)
6. Lyrics Born – The World is Calling (Everywhere at Once)
7. Tenacious D – cosmic Shame (Live @ Higher Ground)
8. Rage Against the Machine – Renegades of Funk (Renegades)
9. Musi Soulchild – L is Gone (Aijuswanaseing)
10. Blackstar – Born and Raised (Dave Chappelle’s Block Party OST)
11. Keller Williams – One Hit Wonder (Laugh)
12. J-Live – It Don’t Stop (Then What Happened?)
13. Kool DJ EQ – Death of Hiphop (Return of the DJ)
Download this and all the other Dotcalm Podcasts at:
THC DOWNLOADS PAGE
10.03.2008
Where's THC been since The Lookout?
Since The Lookout was released and we went on tour we have been in constant motion, doing our best to try and get our music to as many ears as possible. With MC Matty J finally moving down to The House Of Dreams, the entire group is living in the same place for the first time in its 5 year history. This has allowed for an unprecedented amount of music being made at any given moment. We have recorded close to 30 new tracks since his arrival with many more on the way. At the time being we are working on finishing our second full length album, The Masters Collection. With Projected 3, the third in our series of mixtapes from The Projectivity Movement, completed we have made finishing this next album priority number 1. Also on the burner is IBProfyn's solo album Musical Medication, a Got Thc? Mixtape, and a side project with Canadian super producer JDV Productions that might just be our best collection of songs yet. Aside from all this, The Lookout continues to be sent out and played by radio stations all over the country. We have made a splash in Canada by cracking the Hip Hop college radio charts repeatedly throughout July and August and we are gearing up for a release of two new singles to be made available for free online and sent out to all of our radio contacts. On top of all this we are trying to make our online presence stronger and will be constantly updating our websites and blogs so be sure to check back daily for a quick fix. Hope to see you soon.
-IB
10.02.2008
Get Human!
This is one of my favorite resources. I, like everyone else reading this I’m sure, feel as though my time is important. I shouldn’t have to spend 40 minutes out of my day on the phone just because the Electric Company charged me for some dumb shit. If I wanted to press buttons and helplessly try to communicate with a computer, I would get smashed and try to get money out of an ATM, or bring my PS2 back out of the closet. This site lists all the major companies, their phone numbers, and the buttons to press to get a human being to pick the line up ASAP. The site covers utilities, TV/Sat, insurance, computer, shipping, and several other industries. Also, you can ask them to figure out a specific number/company for you, so you know what to do BEFORE you call the customer service line for that RC helicopter you bought to pass blunts around the room.
-MATTY J
10.01.2008
"The First Dude"
“The First Dude” Todd Palin. Here is a montage of how much one reporter can’t get enough of the term “First Dude.” In this interview with Sarah Palin’s husband, you can see what type of intelligence we have in store for us if McCain wins. Hmmm, I wonder what his maiden name was…
-MATTY J