1
versions 2&3 after the jump...
2
3
Much Better Ye!
Peace.Love.Hlife
-J. Poakwa
Friday, May 30, 2008
Video Of The Week: Kanye West-"THE" Flashing Lights!!!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
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
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
Monday, April 28, 2008
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
Video Of The Week: Mickey Factz- Rockin' and Rollin' Feat. The Cool Kidz
Mickey Factz
+The Cool Kidz
= GreatnessEnjoi:-)
Peace.Love.H-Life
-J. Poakwa Continue to full story......
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
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
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
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 Continue to full story......
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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
Thursday, February 14, 2008
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
Monday, January 28, 2008
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
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
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
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
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!!!!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year: Mad Skillz
Happy New Year Bitches!!!!!
Peace.Love.H-life
-J. Poakwa
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Hyphenated at It's Best: Roger The Streetchild
Young Cat from Congo on the strings. Roger is truly a beast when it comes to what he loves. Africa ain't what y'all think man. We got cats doin' it too..Pretty much Ill Shit Right Here....Hip-Hop is Hip-Hop no matter the Language. Roger is Definitely Hyphenated. Peace.Love.H-life
J. Poakwa
Thursday, December 20, 2007
CRS: Us Placers
Lupe
+
Pharrell
+
Kanye
+
Thom York
= Genius
....Nice video, concept is ill...
Peace.Love.Hlife
-J. Poakwa
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Hyphenated at it's best: Bella Love the Kids
No words..Just Fr-Fre- Fresh...Oh yes, So freakin' Hyphenated...
From her myspace:
"Hello, I am Belle the bass. I like to do lots of musical things, including playing the (double & electric) bass, beatboxing and trying to cheat the tax man. I spend most of my time gigging, or rehearsing, or practicing, or writing, or listening… usually with the many amazing musicians I have the pleasure of working with. I enjoy playing all sorts of music, particularly anything that induces the “bass face”. But you’d have to see me play to understand that. My musical climaxes usually come from harcore pelvic and grindin’ funk, swingin’ jazz with plenty of gravy, hip-hop, reggae, latin and blues, but I think it’s always good to pitch in the whole lot and cook up a range of new ripe and juicy recipes. I like to play with musicians who have their daily shot of the grooove juice and are prepared to get up to get down.
I’m currently studying jazz double bass at the Guildhall school of music where I’m learning how to rid yourself of any communication skills you may have picked up along the way, and develop an impressive nervous twitch while you’re at it. I’ve also managed to earn myself a great reputation for blowing stylish raspberries. Apparently it’s cool. If you want me to impress you with my amplified dribbling methods, contact: info@allfromthemouth.com"
Upcoming Shows
Jan 19 2008 8:00P With RD @Radley college
Jan 30 2008 8:00P the prom (with RD) @Bristol
Feb 1 2008 8:00P live and let live @surrey
Feb 2 2008 8:00P joogleberry playhouse @brighton
Feb 8 2008 8:00P riffs bar @swindon
Feb 13 2008 8:00P the Old Duke @Bristol
Feb 13 2008 8:00P the Old Duke @Bristol
Visit Her Myspace @ http://www.myspace.com/bellatrixbeats
Peace.Love.H-Life
-J. Poakwa
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Pimp Free: R.I.P Pimp C.....
2007 is almost over, and still cats is leaving us. Shit s getting very depressing round here. First stack, now Pimp, wtf is going on? 34 years, couple behind bars, but the block recognize the truth when a real nigga talk, the slab still leanin' down the block, we pop 34 shots for the big homie swaggin' on top, rest in peace. Pimp Free, finally. R.I.P Pimp C...
"All y'all niggas talking about selling dope? If y'all niggas was some d-boys, guess what, man? I don't believe you niggas no more cause I'm seeing you niggas in button up shirts getting cute and pretty trying to look sexy. Nigga, fuck you. nigga, and I ain't gotta say your name. Play with me and I'll expose the niggas that was wearing backpacks with their pant leg rolled up back then in Atlanta when me and Big Meech used to be off in the club kickin' it buying each other champagne." Chad was asked about the statement in a later interview, and stated, "If I was talkin' bout Jeezy, then I woulda said his name. I ain't no pussy nigga. If I got somethin' to say about someone, I'll say the bitches name loud and clear. Chuuuch."
-Pimp C
By far one of the truest cats out, I don't care what anybody says, the pimp was nice. Real Niggas, Do Trill Things...Hyphenated in life and in death, never forget the real...uno
Peace.Love.Hlife
J. Poakwa Continue to full story......
Monday, December 3, 2007
Hyphenated at its best: Murs The Great
Yesterday & Today
Murray's Revenge
Peace.Love.Hlife
J. Poakwa
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Smiff-N-Wessun: The Album
From the guttas of Brooklyn, Tek and Steele of Smif-N-Wessun hit the streets with a fresh installment of ski mask music with, “The Album.” Out the gate Tek and Steele allow you to, “See The light”, an ode to staying strong through their trails and tribulations, “You wanna live this lifestyle, you gotta be tough/…The number one rule of making it is never give up.” From Smif N Wessun to Cocoa Brovaz and back again, Tek and Steele leave the listener with a “Buck Town” back hand to the face, as if to say “Nigga we ain’t goin’ no where!” 
Along with the nostalgic rhymes of Tek and Steele, reggae vocals supplied by Chuckii star bless the first single, “Gotta Say It”. Sadly this album falls short of an all around hit. Poor beat selection leaves them with no stable platform to showcase their hungry lyrics on. “The Album” will get a few spins for the guest appearances (Loudmouf Choir Church, Million Stylez, Joell Ortiz), and the few beat burst of life (“Still Fighting”, “Stomp Thru”, “Gotta Say It”), but despite the lyrical effort, “The Album” has little playback value. The album is cool, in a “this is underground” way, but from vets in the game I would expect more. If you’re into hard lyrics from the heart, I highly recommend buying “The Album”, if not cop the single, it’s Hot!
Peace.Love.Hlife
-J. Poakwa
Hyphenated 1 on 1: J Skillz
Los Angeles-The birthplace of gangster rap finds itself taking the opportunity to strike the game with some newfound flavor.
The “New” West movement has spawned many talented MC’s whom stay true to the format of the God Fathers of Hip Hop. Ill beats and hot rhymes from the Southern California city have been catching the eyes and ears of many Hip-Hop fans around the United States. The young musicians have taken it upon themselves to not only save Hip-Hop, but also change the “Gangster Rap” stigma placed on the west coast. One of the many talented artists leading the charge against whack music is triple threat producer and Loyola Marymount Junior, Jason Madison, also known as J Skillz.
Growing up in Los Angeles is one of the main reasons J Skillz is a jack-of-all-trades. “I grew up in just about every part of Los Angeles…I’ve seen it all.” Having the benefit of being exposed to different surroundings in his early years of life has really helped mold Skillz to the triple threat artist he is today. “The people and things I was exposed to, from going to Marcus Garvey, an all black school until 4th grade, to an all white school with Priscilla Presley’s son being my best friend in 5th grade, and still living in the hood, was definitely an eye opener.” The opportunity to see life on the many different sides of the spectrums of life, allowed Skillz to figure out what he wanted to do for a living at an early age.
Like most artists on the come up, Skillz started out producing on sub-par equipment at the home of a relative. “The first [official] beat I made was probably in my grandmother's garage in the summer after my 8th grade year.” Feeling good about what his future had in store for him, Skillz began to make beats non-stop. “Around the age of 13, I started making beats in my room. I didn’t have a program where I could save them, so I would hook up a microphone and point it at the speaker after I made the beat. I would record on tape and do this every chance I got. I would go in my room close the door and just go to Work; they were really shitty.”
As Jason grew up, so did his talent; the once sub par records of his childhood, soon became great pieces of work that had heads nodding with delight. He saw his talent begin to blossom in high school when he started to sample classic soul records, a style popularized by producers like Kanye West.
This newfound success was highly attributed to his family musical connection. He began to make songs with his cousin Dom Kennedy in high school and sell the finished product to his friends at lunch. The impressive upgrade in production quality of the songs, hooked his target audience, and J Skillz began to make a name for his self as a legitimate producer in Los Angeles. Being one with a hustler’s ambition, Jason found any free time he could to promote him self as a producer. While Djying high school dances, Skillz would throw on one of his records. The feedback from the crowd was usually positive, giving Skillz the confidence he needed in order to approach the big league of producing.
“I have produced for Kurupt of the Dogg Pound, Dom Kennedy, Raquel, Rose, Lite, and I also scored a video game for my friend Gary Washington.” His early success as a DJ and producer has opened many doors for his young talent to grow. “I've been in the studio with Kanye a couple times, I worked with J Wells for a summer and learned a lot of things from him. EP who has a lot of credits on everything from Blueprint 2 to Ne-Yo is my main mentor and whom I look to whenever I have a question about anything concerning the industry or music in general. I’m influenced by all these people and every artist I’ve ever liked.”
Now in his junior year at Loyola Marymount University, Jason Madison finds himself perfecting his other areas of interest. If one were to look in the dictionary and look up the term component lifestyle, Jason Madison’s face would surely be there. J Skillz is no stranger to innovation. Like other triple threat veteran artists such as Sean ”Diddy” Combs and Sean ”Jay-Z” Carter, Skillz also, along with being a Music Producer for his label Ten West Records, he is also a Clothing Designer, and Film Director. With his clothing line Shoes Over Bitches (S.O.B) and numerous student film credits, Skillz covers all bases. As a Film major, Skillz is learning how to bring his beats to life on screen. He has directed a couple of music videos for other “New” west artist such as Pacific Division and his cousin Dom Kennedy.
At his current state, Skillz is on his way to making a big name for himself and the west coast. “I make good songs. A lot of people focus on the wrong things when it comes to music. All of that other stuff is secondary to making good songs that people like and connect with. I don’t care how that song gets made, heavy sample, no sample, whatever it may be, that’s what I do.”
Skillz is a rare breed in the music industry. Many artist become detached from the world once they make a little change, however Skillz is very grounded. When it comes to music, family and close friends come first. These family values are one reason why he is the leading producer for his cousin Dom Kennedy’s album. Avery Irvin, friend and fellow LMU student, said, “Jason is headed in a good direction. He shows hunger that other producers don’t, as well as not conforming to what’s hot. That’s what gives him his edge. His unique style and humble attitude will take him far in life.”
When asked about the current state of the music industry and his place in it, Skillz said, “All the people I used to like, I don’t like anymore. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older or what. I used to DJ for 7 years and I’ve seen a lot of trends and sounds come and go in that short span of time, but a lot of things are everlasting. Using a lot of Producers on a CD killed the game; People wanting to do everything Jay does killed it. I could really go on Forever and its kind of a loaded question but Jay said "People from a distance can't tell who is who" and that's so true, its o so true when it comes to rap music.”
The face of Hip Hop is ever changing, and with this change comes the good and the bad, the weak and the dope, the whack and the fresh. Finding an original talent is a hard task. With an overflow of gimmick rappers to the market, Hip-Hop finds it self under mass scrutiny by its loyal fans. An outcry for good music is being heard around the globe, leaving industry heads in a crazed search for new talent that will feed the hunger of Hip-Hop Heads. J Skillz hopes to be one of the men leading the charge at the end of the road, keeping Hip-Hop and good music alive.
Peace.Love.Hlife
J. Poakwa Continue to full story......
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