Yours truly is featured on OneWerd’s “Addiction” track with the comrade Pure Powers. This track is off OneWerd’s “the Faculty” album. If you know me from real life, you that I am a sober individual and have been for almost four and a half years now. This is my short story.
Kensho Kuma
BPos Drops “Party Mardi” Video
My comrades, the BPos clique (Khafre Jay x D-Wiz x Goodword x Gyrl Abstract x DJ Johnny Veneti) just dropped their “Party Mardi” video; it was shot at D-Wiz’s HQ, features cameos from many local party animals including yours truly, and costumes were done by Sarah Stylisms. You can get the brand new BPos album “Positive Beings” here.
510 Japanda Thug Wins ROTC Halloween MC Battle
My alter ego 510 Japanda Thug won the ROTC Halloween MC Battle; all contestants had to battle as their characters and Japanda faced very worthy opponents. Captain Ruksok hosted, Z-Man from the Hiero Imperium helped with the judging, and DJ Kevvy Kev held down the decks.
Preliminary Cypher
Round 1: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Anonymous
Round 2: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Spready Kruger
Final Round: 510 Japanda Thug vs. Slender Woman
On some real shit, I thought that the final round could’ve gone either way.. so I decided to split the prize money with Slender Woman… who is actually the alter ego of Babii Cris. A lyrical prodigy who is barely 21.. her self-produced, self-engineered album is dropping 01/03/15.
Cloud NI9E Debut Solo Album Dropping 11/19
Cloud NI9E will be finally dropping his debut solo album “Alternative” on 11/19. The Tokyo based producer released “the Program EP” with me last May and completed a successful Japan/ South East tour in the summer of ’13. He was also hand selected by Nujabes’ Hydeout label to become a member of the “Ficus” collective, which was specifically designed to carry on the late Japanese mastermind’s sonic legacy. This collective also enlisted 9th Wonder of Jay-Z/ Little Brother fame. The “Alternative” debut features two tracks by yours truly and one from my crew member Orukusaki.
TRACK LIST :
1. Recollection
2. Everlasting feat. Orukusaki
3. Bird’s Eye View
4. Peaceful Warrior feat. Kensho Kuma & Justin Murta
5. Stages feat. Cise Starr (from CYNE)
6. Kazamidori
7. Suicidal Psychology feat. Chiba Chemist
8. Stand Alone (Musou remix) feat. Audace
9. Botanique feat. Pumpkin
10. Talking all days feat. David Whitaker
11. One Day
12. Life Work feat. Kensho Kuma
13. Tokyo kid ~Split style~ feat. Kemui
14. My heart is a melody
15. Home
16. Eclipse (Kamiaritsuki pt.2)
R.A. the Rugged Man’s “Definition of a Rap Flow” Contest
I submitted a song to the “Definition of a Rap Flow” contest being hosted by R.A. the Rugged Man. I thought it was really cool how contestants can choose from Mr. Green instrumentals… instead of barring out at Super Saiyan 1000%, I remade a song to “the Dangerous Three” beat.
I usually don’t care about contests, but R.A. has really had a significant influence on me… one of the first instrumentals I remember attempting to record a song to back in the 90’s was “Till my Heart Stops.” Dude has paid dues forever and the “Legends Never Die” album is probably my favorite album to come out in recent years. This contest is also being judged by Talib Kweli and Vinnie Paz, who are without a doubt in my top artists list.
HH4C in the Media
As you probably know by now, Hip Hop 4 Change is a non-profit organization dedicated to making socioeconomic change through the educational implementation of Hip Hop; what that means is that the members go out to campuses and teach academic skills from a Hip Hop stance using its own curriculum. The organization also throws its own events showcasing local talent; the acts are specifically selected to reintroduce and emphasize the core beliefs/ morals of our culture, which are peace, love, unity, and having fun. We are opposed to the mainstream glamorization of sexism, drug abuse, homophobia, materialism, and gang violence; we believe that these problems are not/ should not be the only available representation of our culture, people, or community.
HH4C have been receiving lots of coverage in the media recently. Yours truly is briefly included in the East Bay Express article. Director/ BPos MC Khafre Jay was also featured on a KPIX segment titled “Oakland Rappers Want to Change the Game with Positivity.”
Watzreal drops the “New Bay” Video
ROTC young gun drops the “New Bay” video. Dude has been paying dues on a regular basis; buy a snapback off of him when you run into him and support the grind.
ROTC x HH4C First Annual “Hip Hop Toy Drive”
Not all children receive toys during the holiday season. We can do our part in changing this. On December 21st, 2014, ROTC will be teaming up with Hip Hop for Change, to host our first annual “Hip Hop Holiday Toy Drive.” Hip Hop for Change is a non-profit organization dedicated to combating the detrimental messages of corporate Rap music and social injustice, through educational outreach, grassroots activism, and real Hip Hop showcases. All collected toys will be donated to City Team at their San Francisco and Oakland locations; the toys will be then distributed to children living in low-income communities. Our culture is for the people, by the people. Let’s bring some toys for kids in the hood.
ROTC- Every Sunday Night @ the Boom Boom Room
ROTC (Return of the Cypher) is a freestyle jam session which occurs every Sunday night @ the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco. The Gem Stone band provides live instrumentation and veteran DJ Kevvy Kev holds down the ones and twos. Special featured guests rock almost every week. Myself, Orukusaki, Slice 9, and MC Mars usually alternate as hosts. All MC’s and vocalists are encouraged to attend and participate in the cyphers, which probably takes up more than 2 and a half hours of each Sunday night. Oh, and it’s absolutely free!
If you are an emcee, you have to be willing to freestyle… period… it’s just part of the craft. And this is the perfect boot camp/ church/ gym/ whatever you want it to be!
Infinite “Double Beatdown” Video
Infinite is a seasoned veteran of the Bay Area Hip Hop scene; when I was finishing up my undergraduate degree at SFSU in the early 2000’s, him and Wonway were widely recognized for being unfuckwitable in the local battle/ open-mic circuit. The “Double Beatdown” concept refers to his dual mastery of MCing and beatboxing. It was shot at the Return of the Cypher event at the Boom Boom Room, and features a brief cameo of basically everyone, including your truly.