Review: Murs - Murs for President

GO BUY THIS ALBUM!!! I don't care what kind of music you listen too, Murs has something for you on this album. For those that don't know him, Murs has been putting in work for well over a decade now, making his name known along with his group the Living Legends. Since his first real solo debut "The End of The Beginning" Murs has had a steadily growing fanbase from his strong message and straightforward flow. One his new album, which was put out by Warner Brothers, he called in Snoop Dogg, 9th Wonder, and Will I Am among others to provide an extremely quality album in all aspects. As his first major label release, he successfully made the transition from classic underground lyricist to a qualified radio-ready, but still authentic, songwriter. Having been a fan of his for close to 10 years and after enjoying his work more and more, I can only imagine the potential he has as a great message sender now backed by a mainstream audience. Go check for it, the single is "Lookin' Fly" and is a great intro for radio listeners to wooed, but does not compare to his in depth tracks suchs as "Science" or "Everything".

We've talked about being strict with this rating but I'm afraid I gotta do it. I have not heard an album like this in a very very long time. Here goes . . .
Flow: 5
Lyrical Content: 5
Production: 5
Albumness: 5
Overall: 5

A Perfect Score ladies and gentlemen!

-Tekst



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.

Riffeo:Free Online Music Lessons

http://www.Riffeo.com/

Riffeo is like a youtube type website that focuses on musicians teaching other musicians. This is a great site for the upstart musician. Anyone interested in learning a new instrument should check it out. Artists post videos of themselves teaching viewers how to play different songs. Enjoy!!

http://www.Riffeo.com/

Scribblejam Emcee Finals Video

Just a lil something i put together with the footage of the emcee battle I had.

Holler.

-Matty J

Boom-Bap.com

www.boom-bap.com

This sight was my JAM back in the day. Around 2002-03 I was getting all my underground knowledge from this place. Unfortunately the sight closed down back in 2006 but there is still a plethora of album releases to sift through. It’s a great place to learn about underground MC’s that might not have gotten enough exposure to reach your eyes and ears. So check it out.

-IB

www.boom-bap.com

JOIN THC MAILING LIST

The Venus Project

The Venus Project www.thevenusproject.com

This web site has an extraordinary outlook on our world today, the way in which we live our lives now, and the changes we should make going forward into a brighter and better future. The Venus Project is featured in the newest chapter from the Zeitgeist documentary. Zeitgeist, if you have not seen it, is an eye opening documentary about the true mechanics of the world we live in. It deals with Religion, the 9/11 conspiracies, the Federal Reserve, and now The Venus Project. So check out this website and learn all about the redesign of a culture.

-IB

www.thevenusproject.com

Ourstage!

Ourstage is an unbelievable place to find great new music. It is a website similar to myspace where fans and artists can interact but there is a twist. Ourstage has monthly contests for its artists where fans judge songs in all different categories as ourstage puts 4 songs up against each other and fans are asked to rank the songs in order from best to worst. Right now THC’s What Would I Do ft. NYOIL is ranked high up in the rap/gangsta rap category. So check out the site and also check us out on the site.

http://www.ourstage.com

http://www.ourstage.com/profile/thehigherconcept

Zulu Nation!!!!!

This weekend, The Higher Concept had the privilage of being able to perform at the 35th Anniversary of Zulu Nation in Stamford, Connecticut. This post is not about how amazing the evening was, that will be later this week, but more to inform our readers about important and inspirational the mighty Zulu Nation is. If you are not familiar with the name Africa Bambataa, then you are not acquainted with hip-hop as you could be. Viewed by many as one of the originators of hip-hop, this ex-gang leader used his influence to encourage others to engage in much more positive acts with the energy and stress built up from living in poverty. In the early 70's, he and others were responsible for block parties where the very first breakers, DJs, and emcees could be found. They were literally the originators. Their music and artists and over all message has been a tremednous influence on The Higher Concept and has inspired us to continue spreading an important message of positivity through this sacred artfrom. Please check them out and support their events where you can, they do shows and throw gatherings and lectures worldwide. Def check back soon for behind the scenes videos with Tony Tone of the Original Cold Crush Brothers, Double Trouble from the original Wild Style, and more.

-Tekst

THC Behind the Scenes: Sayin My Name

CATCH A GLIMPSE AT THC'S NEW BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO FEATURING CRUCIAL TACTICS AND FLIP!

This is just a normal day in the Projected Basement! Making music constantly is just what we do. Sometimes people drop by, and sometimes we record what goes on.

This just happens to be one of those ties where these two occurrences coincided.

holler.

-Matty J

EROWID: KNOW YOUR DRUGS

http://www.erowid.org/

“Documenting the complex relationship between humans and psychoactives” is the tagline for this amazing resource of information. The main database is obviously about the many drugs that are popular (and not so popular). It gives the basics about its use, effects, the laws surrounding it, even the chemistry involved. It also has a great section entitled, “mind and spirit.” There are techniques and methods for practicing many rituals including fasting, prayer, yoga, dancing, martial arts, meditation and many others. It also has a large list of spiritual texts and other sacred articles and writings. So go ahead an peruse, I’m sure you’ll find something out about your favorite drug (legal or illegal) you didn’t know before.

-Matty J

http://www.erowid.org/

James Chase… Projectivity’s Mad Chef of M Street

http://madchefofmstreet.blogspot.com

Its been almost two years now since James Chase brought his talent on board the train that we call Projectivity. Offering us his great networking skills when it comes to putting our music out into the hands of fans, and his talents as an up and coming Chef in the D.C. area. James has been working with us on catering some of our up and coming events. He has a blog about his day in day out grind as a chef, which he updates regularly. The biggest thing we are all working on at the moment is a hip hop themed cooking show. We have already gotten the ball rolling on this and have plans to film the pilot episode soon in Virginia. Check James’s blog out at http://madchefofmstreet.blogspot.com

-IB

Vibe's Best Rapper Alive Contest

http://www.vibe.com/bestrapper/

Vibe’s best rapper alive contest has just ended and it looks like Eminem has taken home the trophy. I personally don’t like the way the bracketing was set up and the results of the contest but its still an interesting concept and worth checking out. See how the contest unfolded on the Vibe website http://www.vibe.com/bestrapper/

-IB

Living Room Candidate

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

This site holds a database of Political ad campaigns starting in 1952 up to present day. It is interesting and humorous to see how the candidates were portrayed before they came to power (or didn’t come to power) and how history and facts actually views them. Most are VERY different from where they started. From fireside chats to Hollywood marketing, see how politicians have attempted to skew or create a completely different personality for themselves. Now that all this election hubbub is over with, we can relax and see that this year's smears were just as bad as any other year.

-Matty J

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

Spotlight: Burnt MD

Burnt MD and GTD (Growth Til Death) www.burntMD.com
Artist/Writer/Promoter/Entrapenuer

Well, if your down with THC and don't know about the one and only Burnt MD, you really have not done your research. He holds it down in Vermont by way of Brooklyn, and all though we have never officially collaborated yet on a track, the group and Burnt go way back. Since Burnt first brought up Tekst to open for Akrobatik in Vermont back in 2006, THC and Burnt have done countless shows together all over the northeast, not to mention Tekst is his personal engineer. The guy is basically on the grind 24/7 as the top hip-hop promoter in Burlington, VT, personally responsibile for the ILL SESSIONS concert series; bringing in the highest caliber of underground hip-hop heads such as Brother Ali, Murs, C.L. Smooth, Devin the Dude, CunnynLinguists, Tonedeff, Pack FM, Akrobatik, Planet Asia, Mr. Lif, and Tash of The Alkaholiks just to name a few. But thats just his day job. BurntMD also has built up quite a catalog as an artist releasing such works as Burnt Underground Radio, GTD Presents Ill Sessions The Album, GTD Presents Burnt MD and Tha Professor which featured Akrobatik, Planet Asia, Tekst, Network, and Tricky C. Most recently Burnt has collaborated with Projectivity on the Projected Mixtape Series bringing listeners some of the more creative progressive up and coming artists mixed with features from underground greats such as Masta Ace, One Be Lo, Remedy, and Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian on Projected Vol. 2 and Slug, Akrobatik, Brother Ali, Pack FM, Little Brother, NYOIL, and iCON the Mic King on Projected Vol 3. From mixtapes and releases to live shows and promotion, Burnt MD is truly one of the hardest working all around hip-hop enthusiasts and sure to be heard from in the underground circuit more and more, so make sure you check up on him now and let him know whats up before he is to big to answer his myspace messages.

-Tekst

GO OUT AND VOTE!!!!!

-Matty J

HopStop.com

WWW.HOPSTOP.COM

This is a great site for everyone who (like me) don't have any motivation to learn the subway system. It's like mapquest for the subway. That's all i have to say.

WWW.HOPSTOP.COM

-MATTY J