Transmissions

Let's see if I remember how to do this..

Ok, it's been a minute since I turned the lights on in here but seems all the furniture is in it's place. Whew. In the midst of a cold tropical storm named after my Mama, I thought I'd document a few things from the year at present. 2012 has pretty much been an emotional and psychological rollercoaster on a few levels. And in the midst of that I managed to make some music. The homie RenRok and I had collabed on a track called "Jaded Visions" last year and our styles fit well together so we decided to do an album. He started feeding me beats in late 2011 that I would keep in the cooler until I was ready for them. I still had a few collabs that I had cats waiting on to finish up and by the end of January 2012 I was ready to 86 all collabs and focus solely on the album which we would call, "The Single Malt EP." We were in agreement that we wanted to stay true to our sensibilities as grown men and lovers of a particular aesthetic and texture of hip hop. What does that mean? Basically, it means crafted, big, crunchy beats, creative sampling and authentic lyrics that don't follow trends and chat fuckery. I wanted the listener to feel like shit wasn't slapped together in 15 minutes. I took my time with each beat and tried to write my best and tell stories inside of stories in the span of a verse. I try to say alot with saying much, I guess. Don't ask me what 'so and so' song means. Although the song titles tend to be ambiguous to the lyrical meaning and content at times they do set the tone for what the song is about. I come up with titles first and then match them to the beat I intend to write to and then let it go. Not unlike planting a seed and watching it grow into something. We called this project "The Single Malt EP" as a nod to our appreciation of fine Scotch. And we chose the name of our outfit to be THE FOUNDRY because we all know what happens at the foundry. Why, that's where heavy metals get melted down and forged and it's where the bodies are disposed of. Of course. I kid. But, yeah, I'm really proud of how the album came together and Ren was a pleasure to work with. We will definitely do another FOUNDRY album in 2013 and see where we can take this. I reached out to a few peeps and they graciously lent their talents to make the cipher complete. B. Eure fka Bobby Blunt blessed me with a verse on, "Sip Slow." I also traded bars with my new friend from Queens, Unseen NY, on the track "Jura" and with Austrian fly girl, The Unused Word, on "Cloak and Dagger." The talented artist Sunday Morning did a custom collage cover for us and we were on our way. Released July 15, 2012. The album got very little blog love. I clearly didn't hit up the right ones. I think I was aiming high and didn't realize alot of cats are blog snobby. They wait around to see if Nottingham or 2Dope posts shit before they decide to post. Dickriders. It's cool, though. My people's enjoyed the album and some still rocking it. Me too. I chilled for a few and started on some collabs I'd been wanting to do. I did joints with Impossible Nothing, KVZE, Byrdversion1, and BioLogic and then jumped headfirst into a solo instrumental project. I had alot of fun on the first beat album I did, "Hungry Thief." I spend so much time writing rhymes and listening to other people's beats that I forget to blow the dust off my own equipment. I fucking love my MPC. I won't front, cats get biz with all the new techniques and programs they use. I enjoy alot of it and am amazed with it. But I also notice alot of clonery. I honestly can't tell a distinct style or sound from alot of stuff. "..the image of imitation, taken from origination made by tracin' and a little erasin'.." - Rakim Allah I get it. We all love Dilla, FlyLo and 'Lib and Preem and Pete. But we love them because they don't try to sound like nobody else. They have their own style. I'm trying to have mine. I'm nowhere in those lords league but I'm not supposed to be. And the feeling is mutual. THAT'S hip hop. So the second installment of "Stidakstruhmentals" is titled, "Higher Branches" and is 9 joints with a Stidak twist. Dark, jazzy electric piano chords over subs bass synths and acoustic percussion smothered in burly kicks and sharp snares. Well, just listen for yourself...

Next project is a collab EP with my brother, Keor Meteor. I'm going to take my vitamins and workout up in Bear Mtn. or Sil Lum to get right for this one. I plan to get busy. And after that for 2013 a few more collabs, a short EP with Skratch Zilla and another with King Boom, a new FOUNDRY album and a new instrumental album. Insh'allah. More stories to come.