A Day on tour with Double-O

Posting this cuz my boy sent it over...Dunno what D.O. is doing lol...

Shout out to Ian @ Dub Frequency

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa The Writer

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DF X Pac DIV- She's got to have it ( snippet) & Mayor Live

New music from the Div Boys.


Note:I was trying something new with my cam, so sorry for the weird coloration. Shout out to Ian, Jesse, and Matt @ Dub Frequency, Carl at Fresh Milk, and the homies Pacific Division.

Performing She's got to have it


Performing Mayor- Pretty much shutdown the show, sorry Holt.


Peace.Love.H-Life

J. Poakwa The Writer

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Slept on Album of 08': Bambu-…Exact Change...

From just looking at the album cover you know you’re in for something crucial. Like the barrel of the gun and the Machete suggest, Bambu isn’t here for shits and giggles.

Over a slew of soulfully charged tracks, Bambu serves the ears with a much needed plate of politically aware food for thought. In a time when self education is needed, Exact Change acts as the music for the street revolution.

Songs like “Spare Change”, “No Fuss”, and “Crooks and Rooks” bring the listener into a deeply personal setting with Bambu. Other notables “Like us” and “Seven Months” create a sense of family and close friendship for the listener. Exact change is more than just another Underground album, but more so the social commentary of every man trying to survive these days of change.

No matter where you're from, no matter your race, Bambu’s lyrics awake the dormant activist in you and force you to look at what’s happening around you. The album pulls you in with melodic sounds and keeps your attention with Bambu’s lyrical word play. Exact Change is Hip-Hop in its rawest form, full of moral tales and eye opening epiphanies.



For more visit: http://www.myspace.com/bambumusic

Peace.Love.Hlife

-J. Poakwa

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Hyphenated 1 on 1: Jake One

Riding around in his White Van pumping out sampled goodness, Seattle native Jake One is a Producer like no other. Seldom do we see great producers around here, not to mention producers with a catalogue as diverse as Jake’s. Jake One is synonymous with greatness, producing neck breaking “Oh Shit!” classics such as MF Doom’s “Hoe Cakes”, 50 cent’s “Movin’ on up”, De La Soul’s “Rock Co. Kane Flow”. A heavy hitter with the underground and mainstream levels of Hip-Hop, Jake One moves through the realms of rap with a consistency that keeps him a reoccurring name in your favorite album’s credits. With his new piece “White Van Music” in stores, Jake weighs in on his success and the future of Hip-Hop.

Hyphen: With such a vast catalog of music, do you have a favorite beat?

Jake One:It’s hard because, in the past, a lot of the stuff I’ve done I don’t really listen to too much honestly. I let it go pretty much after we do it. The obvious choice would be “Rock Co. Kane Flow”, only ‘cause I’m always remind of it; that’s just one of those special records. I go to a De La Soul Concert and that was the last song they perform, and I see people goin’ crazy. It’s just a dope feelin’ knowing that something you made has all these people goin’ Bananas. So if I had to choose a record it’ll probably be that one; it was just unexpected and different.

Hyphen: What piece of equipment can you not live without?

Jake One: Definitely the ASR-10. That pretty much is the foundation of everything I do.

Hyphen: Outside of your production, who do you feel is doing Hip-Hop Justice?

Jake One: As far as producers, I like a lot of Nottz’ stuff. Big fan of Jay Dee’s, his stuffs always gonna be there. Khalil’s another guy; Denaun Porter, I like his stuff a lot. There a lot of producers I dig. Justice League, those guys are really dope.

Rapper wise it’s a little harder. I like Young Jeezy’s album a lot. Something about dude; I just dig his style. I actually like the kids from L.A., Pacific Division. I think their dope. [However], I feel like a lot of rappers are making such an inconsistent effort that it’s kind of hard to just ride for one rapper.

Hyphen: What’s your message to the new producers and artist coming out?

Jake One: Man, more than anything, since I do get to listen to a lot of new producers because of [Red Bull] Big Tune, try to have some kind of angle you’re going for. If you’re one of those fake 9th wonders, Timbalands, or fake whoever it is, you’re really not gonna go anywhere with that shit. A lot of people think they’re ready for it when they aren’t. If you’ve only been making beats for a year, you’re probably not ready. You gotta build that foundation, rather than taking that Olympic long jump.

Jake One - The Truth


Peace.Love.Hlife

-J. Poakwa

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Hiatus (of sorts)

It's been a while since I've touched finger to key and let my thoughts race. What can I say, SCHOOL IS A BITCH! However, i'm on my way out of the college life so its fitting that I reengage in my writing. I've been up to a lot. My writing (beyond Hlife) has taken off, then taken down lol, but now its up again. Vapors, Campus Circle, and Scheme magazine have been my home while I was away, and they've been good to me.

As for my alter ego (pictured above), he's been on the "grind" of sorts, recently receiving my first mixtape placement on the OnSMASH/Legend, DJ Nice & DJ Green Lantern - Back 2 The Basics 2 (The Resurrection) album. Besides that I've been rubbing elbows with myself trying to stay as real as I can. So far, 2009 is looking like another year. Fear it, never. As for H-Life, I will continue to supply your minds with the truth, the fresh, and the Hyphenated. Hope you come along for the ride.

DOWNLOAD MY FIRST MAJOR TRACK!!!
J. Hyphen- OnSMASH feat CurT@!n$ and Mickey Factz

Peace.Love.Hlife

-J. Poakwa

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Video Of The Week: Kanye West-"THE" Flashing Lights!!!

1

versions 2&3 after the jump...

2


3

Much Better Ye!

Peace.Love.Hlife

-J. Poakwa

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Video Of The Week: Malkovich: Like A Glove feat. Pudgemcee, Ali Baba Abnormal

Big Homie Malk comin' at ya with some of that New West flavor. Simple Vid, Old School Feel. Sit Back and Enjoi.

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Somethin' 4 Da Youngsta's

I dunno, but when I was a kid nigga's didn't take shit from nobody. This was what I grew up on, hardcore rap shit. This is what they're talkin' bout when they say REAL HIP-HOP. These cats running around now ain't worth one of these lil' cats. It's a shame when you have cats like Bow Wow and Romeo claiming that they are HIP-HOP. Naw Homie! This Shit Right Here (No KW), this is HIP-HOP. Lil' cats need to learn their history. Nuff Said.

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Hyphenated 1 on 1: Youngest in Charge:Julien Edwards & F2D

Los Angeles-Fresh 2 Def Entertainment Label Founder Seeks Hip-Hop's Best and Brightest

One group of L.A.-born businessmen is in the driver’s seat to be the next big record label to hit the scene since Bad Boy and Death Row. Run by a fearless leader, 21-year-old Julien Edwards (Left), Fresh 2 Def Entertainment’s strong roster of talent is generating buzz. We sat down with Edwards to find out how it originated and why he feels F2D is the future of hip-hop, and music in general.

Interview after the jump...
Hyphen: Where did the Fresh 2 Def name come from?

J.E: I came up with Fresh 2 Def the last year of high school. I was a big Roc-a-Fella fan, and I would always hear Dame Dash say, “Oh this is fresh to death, pop tags, fresh to death,” so it just kind of stuck.

Hyphen: How did the label get started?

J.E: I was always into music, but in high school I started to gain friends that rapped, and I was so cool with them that I would promote them and play their music for people, and it just came that I started to manage them. At first I managed this one group that had three of my friends in it, a producer and H.O.P.E. [a current F2D artist]. That group broke up, so we started Fresh 2 Def. Basically, I kind of just fell into it.

Hyphen: You guys just recently did a show opening up for Devin the Dude …

J.E:Yeah, that was our first show as the established F2D. It was one of my favorite shows.

Hyphen: For those who don’t know, let’s run down some of your artists.

J.E: SKEME. He can do the hard track, he can do the girl track, and he’s so young he has so much more to offer. He just turned 18, but he’s amazing. He can do whatever he wants; he’s really ahead of his time. Then there’s Lite. Lite is his own person. As an artist he’s dope: his songs are catchy and just clinch on to you.

Hyphen: Tell us about H.O.P.E.

J.E: He’s dope. Some of the things he comes up with are just like, how the heck did he think that up? A lot of people heard the backwards thing, where he rhymed things backwards.

You got Chuck, Three-1-Zero. Dope. His beats are sick and he has so much creativity, it’s amazing. He has a CD coming out, his LP, ’99 Lakers. That’s like the main core focus on Fresh 2 Def. And of course, Emon, the singer is probably on every R&B track that we do. He’s probably the most established out of any of us, like, look at his MySpace and he has more friends than any of us.

Hyphen: As far as releases, what do you guys have coming up?

J.E: SKEME just released Pre-Season, a pre-mixtape to what he’s about to come out with, New Season. But before he does that he wants to release Pre-Season 2, which is just another batch of freestyles and such. H.O.P.E. is about to put out another mixtape. We just finished four songs from it in one night. It’s gonna be called Follow the Leader. And then after that, we’ve been doing his album, The Demo.

Hyphen: Where do you think F2D stands in the grand scheme of things?

J.E: I just want us to bring back good music. I don’t want to be the back packers or those club dudes. Everybody is equally dope on F2D and has something to bring to the table.

Hyphen: When everything is said and done, what do you want Fresh 2 Def’s legacy to be?

J.E: One of the best on the West, the best since Death Row; except without the killing.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/fresh2defentertainment.


Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Video Of The Week: Mickey Factz- Rockin' and Rollin' Feat. The Cool Kidz

Mickey Factz

+
The Cool Kidz

= Greatness

Enjoi:-)

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Video Of The Week: Kidz In The Hall- Driving Down The Block

Be Sure to check my interview with the guys in Vapor Magazine, On News stands now!!!
or just click the pic lol...


Peace. Love H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Your Welcome...

Well you are..lol

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Video Of The Week: Lupe Fiasco- "Paris, Tokyo"

Lupe Fiasco

+
Paris

+
Tokyo

=

Just Dope...

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Hyphenated 1on1: Picaso

Part special needs counselor, part record label president and full time artist, 24-year-old Picaso is like no other. Los Angeles isn’t just his stomping ground. It’s the liquid that flows through his veins.

As one of the founding members of the Language Artz Crew (which includes rappers A.T., Bread Boi, Hollyhood 3, Ryan Gee, Gerrentee, Macc-Man and producers tha AdjicktivZ), Picaso, like the famous cubist painter Pablo Picasso, is one who not only amazes but provokes the mind with his arsenal of witty punch lines and grade-A rhymes.

“I pride myself in lyricism,” Picaso says. “Around 10th grade I was in art class, and we had to learn about Picasso [who] switched his style up so many times. A lot of people didn’t really understand his artwork ’til later. I really pride myself in being versatile and putting a good message in there, but it’s always decoded, so you gotta sit there and listen to it to really understand it, hence Picaso.”

Today’s industry has seen the rise of the single artist. Picaso and Language Artz, however, are trying to take music back to the Bad Boy/Roc-A-Fella days when everybody in your family was ill and the team shined together.

“If you were to put [our music] in a category, I would say it’s grass root hip-hop, but it’s not ’98, it’s 08: music with a digital mind state,” says Picaso.

And it shows in the music.

Picaso is more than just a one trick pony that can spit. As well as being a music video director, he has grown from being just another sneaker head to a full-fledged businessman.

“Fashion and music, that’s my thing. If it wasn’t rapping, it would be fashion design. We [Language Artz] have a clothing line called Honor Roll, and I do rep work with a clothing line called Beautiful Society,” he says.

With his ability to ride a track effortlessly powered by raw talent and a hint of Biggie Smalls, Picaso is a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.




For more information, visit www.myspace.com/picasoscanvas.

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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H-Life Concert Series: UCR Heat Festivle 2008

Pusha T

“Lights Out Lights Out, Everything Black”, the voice from the speaker commanded. In an instance the crowd went silent and was immediately covered in the darkness of the night. A silhouette emerged from back stage with a Flash Light attached to its head. The cameras in the media pit began to flash, and shoot even more light into the atmosphere, “We don't need light, we are the light”, again chanted the mysterious figure. As the DJ’s cued the classic soul vinyl through the speakers, the lights blasted the massive crowd to reveal Brooklyn’s finest decked out in a fresh pair of J’s and a Crooks and Castle’s Back Pack. “Mos Def, Mos Def, Mos Def…” chanted the crowd. Thus began my experience at the UCR Heat 2008 music festival.

Mos Def

The “Katrina” sized rain drops were no match for the fire that scorched that stage. Years prior saw the likes of Lupe Fiasco light up the stage. The lineup this year was sure to make the event even hotter. Ranging from Moby to Circa Survive, Mos Def to The Clipse, and Girl Talk to 311, the fans in attendance were in for a real treat. In total there were three stages and 17 acts, 17! A music lover could go crazy.

Riverside Mutha Fucka!!!

Riverside isn’t what you call the most “happenist” place around, so when something like Heat comes around, they go all out. There were a million over priced food stands, go figure when you’re paying 31 bucks for 17 acts, as well as a semi-club/ Dance Tent. The festival started at 6pm with performances by a couple of underground and local acts and DJ’s, such as Aloe Blacc on the Jam Stage, and Low B on the main stage.

Aloe Blacc

I’m a Hip-hop head so my main focus was on Mos Def and The Clipse performances. With my trusty media Badge around my neck and a slick tongue, ya boy was able to get on stage a couple of times. Mos Def came out rockin' the crowd from jump. Not only was dude fresh, but he came out spittin' fresh tracks off his upcoming album. Trust me when I say, that shit is fire. The crowds were huge, the food was expensive, and the floor was muddy, but the music made up for all that. Mos Def ended his set with a couple of fan favorites such as: “UMI Says”, “Traveling Man” and “Ms. Fat Booty”, which he spit over the original sample; Dope.

After the Mos Def set was over I made my way over to the Jam stage where the Clipse were going to perform. After a couple of friendly words with the security guards (Mouthpiece gets you anything in this world), I was soon on stage with the Clipse taking pictures and vibin’ with the crowd. Malice and Pusha T came out and it was like old times.

The Clipse

Highlights from the set were “Grinding”, “Mr. Me Too”, and Brand new off their new Mixtape: We Got it For Cheap vol.3, “20k Money Making Brothers on the Corner”. Liva and Sandman of the Re-Up Gang were also in the house as well to rock it. By the end of the event my kicks were trash, my ears were gone, but man was that shit hot.


-J. Poakwa


Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Video Of The Week: Kanye West- HomeComing Feat. Chris Martin

Kanye West + Chris Martin = ColdYe....lol

Man, it's been a while. I've been on my freelance shyt...a lot of articles showing up around your local newsstands; applause for a second.......Ok back to business. The slack is being thrown out the window to dry. That's right I'm back and you can expect more tasty goodness from ya boy. This weeks video comes from the big homie Ye and features an obscure cut out of Chris Martin singing, as well as the Gap Man, Common, standing around looking stale faced. Overall the black and white take on Chicago was ok, that is if you hate Chicago. I mean, if it were a song bout LA, shyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyt(R.I.P The Wire), colors baby. I guess Chi-town is just that dull to Ye. Tisk Tisk. Well till next time...



P.S: Be sure to check out my alter ego J. Hyphen. That guy is ridiculous on the beats.. myspace.com/Jhyphentheproducer

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Video of the week: Flashing Lights??

I dunno what Ye was thinking when he made this, pretty weird, but that is one bad bad bad bad bad bad bad, beeeeeeeeach...lol.


Peace.Love.Hlife

J. Poakwa

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Div At It Again....

Women Problems

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Pac Div at it agian, this time for "Women Problems". Very nice vid. Watch, Listen, Debate, Discuss, all that Vh1 stuf...lol...Uno.

Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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Video of The Week: U-N-I "Beautiful Day"

To my bigger bro's,

Love y'all cats. keep doin' what you doin'. U-N-I will be a household name, mark my word. For those of you who don't know, this is the second video off the debut album Fried Chicken and Watermelon. So bump this shit loud and kick back with some Kool aid...Uno...


Peace.Love.H-Life

-J. Poakwa

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WOW....

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Video of The Week: Pacific Division -"Fat Boys 08"

If you don't know who these cats are smack ya self. Pac Div is in the building and Hip-Hop is back, nuff said...



Behind The Scenes:






World Premier!!!!

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Happy New Year: Mad Skillz

Happy New Year Bitches!!!!!

Peace.Love.H-life

-J. Poakwa

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