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3 Dope Songs From Sa-Roc: A New Day is Upon Us-True Mastery

February 10, 2014 By

Sa-RocWe continue our 3 Dope Song series by shining a well deserved  spotlight on the very powerful and gifted Sa-Roc who originally hails from Washington DC, and is now based in Atlanta where she reps the God-Hop Movement.

Her new joint True Mastery is the biz as she lets folks know a new day is upon us in Hip Hop.. Either come to the table with heat and get your bars up or be removed from the cipher. Sa-Roc is not playing. Check out her new album Babylon

Here’s a bit more info about this sister as noted in her bio

A product of Afrikan-centered parents, Saroc developed a rebel mentality from an early age. She grew up on the music of Jimi Hendrix, Gil Scott Heron, and Earth,Wind & Fire. Her musical soundtrack was a klash of sounds, from gogo, to rock, to hip hop. This foundation began an aural quest for different sounds and concepts in music.

It wasn’t until 2002, when Saroc met Atlanta producer Sol Messiah, that she began her love affair with the mic. Armed with the lessons and musical genius of Sol Messiah, she developed a sound that was 1 part hood poetry, 2 parts otherworldly, and totally new and fresh. From subject matter ranging from melanin to pyramids, Saroc spits metaphysical ideas over melodic hip hop beats, seeking to fuse knowledge of self with great music.

Sa-Roc – True Mastery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq65f67_2bs

Sa-Roc – Queen’s Philosphy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBaDqpbckZc

Sa-Roc – Sun Tzu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVXh8Q12Ags

Sa-Roc – Black God Theory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkrWOJVAdb4

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3 Dope Songs to Check for that Clap Back at Oppression

January 29, 2014 By
Jasiri X

Jasiri X

Pittsburgh based emcee Jasiri X needs no introduction as each month he’s puts out dope music accompanied by compelling videos that address key issues of the day. If there is anyone who has been providing and essential sound track for the lives of this generation it would be him..

This latest offering details his recent trip to Palestine where he got to see first hand whats going down. He was part of a much larger delegation which included among others labor leader Bill Fletcher and long time writer/ activist Dream Hampton..

This song ‘Checkpoint‘ is based on the oppression and discrimination Jasiri X witnessed firsthand during his recent trip to Palestine and Israel “Checkpoint”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6Y6LSjulU

Rebel Diaz

Rebel Diaz

Chicago raised, Bronx based Rebel Diaz has been putting down incredible music for a while that is squarely backed up by their intense activism..In the song below to put to rest the debate around immigration as the detail the fallacy behind the term ‘illegal alien’. They break down how its not as simple as saying someone broke the laws by crossing the borders. They note that such activities are a form of displacement initiated by harsh foreign policies that leave folks with little or no choice..  props to them for this video..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbXHJPWvOg8

MV Bill is an artist we should all know

MV Bill is an artist we should all know

If you’re not up on MV Bill aka the Messenger of Truth you need to be as he one of the most popular, prolific and politically charged emcees in Brazil. Hailing from the infamous City of God in Rio, most of his songs deal with social justice, police and government corruption and the unequal treatment of Black folks  living in the Favelas which are now being upended and people being massively and unceremoniously displaced to make way for the 2016 Olympics.

For those not up on MV Bill you may wanna check out this in-depth documentary from 4 Real TV  done by Sol Guy out of Canada and Mos Def now  known as Yasiin Bey... Its riveting to say the least.. http://www.4real.com/tv/details.asp?pageid=10

In the song below titled ‘Causa e Efeito‘ MV Bill talks about the police being an arm of the government and the elite and they help in them stealing millions from the poor. He also addresses the fact that the rich are often evil, and abusive and have their devilish deeds covered up..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mEb55pqoYA

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3 Dope Songs from Tiye Phoenix: Amazing, Awe-inspiring & Afrocentric

January 9, 2014 By

Tiye PhoenixWe hope in 2014 that more people pay attention to one of Hip Hop’s best kept secrets Tiye Phoenix. Many of her songs are unapologetically Afrocentric and uplifting. Her flows are on point and rep her tenure in this game where’s she’s held court with some of the best..

Originally from Baltimore, MD,  Tiye started out by studying classical piano and building her foundation around poetry. In the late 90s she formed S.O.U.L. Food Symphony, a D.C.-based all female collective that performed with artists such as Nas, Black Moon & Gil Scot Heron. She later signed to Rawkus Records and worked with fellow artists Mos Def, The Last Emporer & Talib Kweli.

Tiye then went on to write and work with iconic hip-hop producers Hank & Keith Shocklee of Public Enemy. She also toured and performed with the late legendary Teena Marie and the late Rick James. She also recorded with the UK group, The Runaways.

Tiye then went on to become a member of the super group Polyrhythm Addicts (which included; Tiye, DJ Spinna, Shabaam Sahdeeq & Mr. Complex). In 2007, they released the album Break Glass which featured the video: Reachin’ f. Pharoahe Monch

Tiye really caught people’s attention with the 2009 release of her critically acclaimed album..’Half Woman Half Amazin‘ It contains a 12 banging tracks that range from hard hitting lyrical gems to more introspective, spiritually based songs.

In recent days Tiye has released a couple of songs off her new EP called Transit To Illumination.  Check out her 3 Dope songs

Tiye Phoenix – ‘Skybound”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTq84OWZc6Q

Tiye Phoenix – Tiye’z Reachin’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d2eXl-XMCo

Tiye Phoenix – Waking Up(The Diamond Mantra)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3CLss8CWI

Tiye Phoenix – Twin Flame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw0-6qhG3KM

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3 Dope Songs from Snow Tha Product: From the Bay to Texas & Beyond

January 9, 2014 By
Snow Tha Product

Snow Tha Product

Straight outta San Jose, California and now holding it down in Texas is Snow tha Product who has been causing quite a stir for the past couple of years..Initially know as Snow White Tha Product until Disney got a hold of her and claimed copyright infringement, Snow caught everyone’s attention with her rapid fire rhyme flow and put folks on notice. She was one that would definitely hurt your feelings if you stepped into the rhyme arena with her..

Although she had been grinding away the past few years doing mixtapes like Good Nights and Bad Mornings pt1 and pt2, showcases here and there including South By Southwest and Rock tha Bells, performing throughout Mexico and Central America and doing collabs with everyone from Slim Thug to Trae tha Truth and more recently Tech 9ine,  it was the ‘Holy Shit‘ freestyle that really set it off for her…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVQyMIpGqaI

In fact the freestyle set off a bidding war among a number of labels including Atlantic who she eventually signed with. She’s set to drop an album later this year..As far as her music is concerned, Snow’s rhyme style left many wondering if she could actually do songs or would she be one to only do rapid fire rhymes without a whole lot of concepts and substances. We’ve seen over the years that she’s a talented and versatile song writer who can dip and make pop songs that you could hear on the radio as well as keep it 100 and truly rep for the underground.. Below are  3 Dope Songs that caught our attention..

These two songs capture the essence of Snow’s rhyme flows and lyricims..Seems like there were some critics who thought she was a gimmick so she let em know.. she’s far from it..

Snow Tha Product ‘Lord Be With You’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjePEq8dMJ4

Snow Tha Product ‘Unorthodox’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pWKoIgGUeQ

Snow had a number of break out songs that were regional and nationwide hits.. The best known is a cut called Drunk Love.. The one that we really like is the one below called ‘Til death’..

Snow Tha Product ‘Til Death”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdMFkuconFQ

Snow Tha Product ‘Break ‘Em

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UTEIc9AGtw


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3 Dope Songs from Medusa The Gangsta Goddess

January 5, 2014 By

medusa-gangstagoodess-225Every once in a while I feel compelled to do my duty as a productive citizen and generously give back to the community. Sometimes I volunteer my time. Other times I give money. Still on other occasions I give sound advice.

Today I wanna take some time out and give some sound advice to anybody who is an aspiring artist as well as to those who have been around the block a few times. My heartfelt advice to you is as follows: If you happen to be booked for a show and the promoter has you coming on AFTER this LA based artist named Medusa… DO NOT DO IT.

Have your manager re-negotiate your contract, but do not go on stage right after her. You may be able to get by if they let the deejay play an hour long set or something or you have an artist like KRS-One performing alongside you… Maybe if you’re a bit sadistic and like pain, then following Medusa might be the thing for you to do. This woman is not to be followed.

Below is a quick run down of the Gangsta Goddess from a recent article in LA Weekly

Medusa was born twice. The self-described gangsta goddess of hip-hop was first born in the city of Los Angeles, and then spent her childhood in Pomona and Altadena. After a yearlong stint in prison almost 15 years ago, she was reborn ? creatively, spiritually ? in the heart of the legendary Good Life Cafe/Project Blowed hip-hop scene in Leimert Park, where shes lived for more than a dozen years.

A stalwart on the local music scene with her collective, Feline Science, she’s perhaps best known for her womanist anthem, ‘Power of the P,’ as well as for a high-velocity live show that she performs regularly at Temple Bar and Club Fais Do-Do.

She’s appeared in a slew of hip-hop documentaries, acted onstage and had a large part in the HBO prison drama Stranger Inside. With three different projects tentatively set to drop this year, she’s on a career high.

MEDUSA-Choclet Giddy Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k813qUXFXAQ

MEDUSA-‘Next Sensation’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_E815PpTHE

MEDUSA-‘Know Thyself”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sON4JHGOmbs

MEDUSA-‘Pimps Up (Live Freestyle)’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQAKXrJ5N5k

MEDUSA-‘Cali Frame’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsFd-cTXVwQ

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3 Dope Songs from JNatural; A Firecracker Whose Deadly on the Mic

January 5, 2014 By

 JNaturalJNaturaL is a Filipino American born emcee/vocalist with a presence and vocal power that has coined the term which many have used to describe her “looking pretty, spitting ugly”. This “sexy tomboy firecracker” emerged on the indie hip hop scene in early 2000 as the only female emcee in an 8 piece band.

In 2002 JNaturaL released her first solo LP For Clarity, and in 2004, continuing to find her own voice, JNat wrote and produced a 5 track acoustic guitar EP called LA Virgen.

In 2006, JNaturaL teamed up with producer/photographer Jeff Wonder to produce her first globally distributed LP, Escape From Babylon. Watch her music video for the single “Dust For Los Angeles” off of this LP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0xonPtmTis

In 2007 fate crossed her path with long time hip hop mentor Aceyalone, who brought her to the Project Blowed Studios to be a part of the Blowed’s all female wrecking crew The (SIS)tem.

In 2008 JNat released her Sex Lies and Sextape mixtape, mixed by DJ Ray Ray Raw and featuring The A-Team (Aceyalone & Abstract Rude.) This mixtape was the catalyst for the independently run European tours that went down in 2008 and 2009. After recording all of 2009 for her new concept album Love is on Hiatus, executively produced by Aceyalone, with production by Jeff Wonder and LD of Technicali JNatural is poised to have a busy 2010 touring the States & Europe in support of the upcoming lp.. Early reviews of the new album state

JNaturaL – I Am Where The Music Is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMDYh9mEFxo

JNaturaL feat Ras Kass – MANNA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrfxK_qmvJU

JNATURAL – “AINT NOTHING SACRED”

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr8pSW4UcAY

Below is JNatural’s sound cloud page

https://soundcloud.com/jnatural

JNatural’s has put out a short film/musical called Desire. It’s a tale of a love triangle and unrequited love.  Watch as things turn deadly for everyone involved.  The story moves on with minimal dialogue and allows the imagery to tell the story.

 http://vimeo.com/33145353#at=0

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3 Dope Songs from Nina Dioz; A True Emcee From Mexico Holding it Down

January 5, 2014 By

Nina DiozHailing from the underground scene in Monterrey, Mexico, and registered in the new wave of MCs, Nina Dioz is a snowball that has been growing in recent years. She quickly began to establish her stage name nationally and internationally.

In November 2007 she launched into the spotlight with their debut EP entitled “Pacemaker,” with 7 tracks among which is their hit “When, When” which was very well received by people and the media in general. A few weeks after the release of this EP, “When, When” started playing on the radio, being among the best songs of the year of Reactor 105.7 FM.

Being a single detached from an independent release hip-hop genre, this was a great achievement for the young rappera. “Pacemaker” also bore fruit in 2008, when Nina Dioz nominated for the Indie-O Music Awards in the category “Best Album of Hip-Hop.“In addition, in May this year was selected by Nike as the only Mexican artist in the international presentation of Nike Sportswear in Beijing, China.

Nina Dioz is a young girl that wastes no energy on stage and transmits a huge passion for music. She has opened for many national and international artists, and has also shared the stage with many others such as; The Chojin, Tote King, Cartel de Santa, National Sonidero, Plastilina Mosh, Hello Seahorse, Molotov, Mexican Institute of Sound, Julieta Venegaz, Anita Tijoux, Natalia Lafourcade, Ghostface Killa, Beatnuts and Groove Armada are just a few examples. Her  performances earned her stellar reviews including one from the  Los Angeles Times, who called her “… Mexico’s answer to colossal artists like MIA and Lady Sovereign …”.

Niña Dioz – Lo Quiero Matar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzdH0HMuAsM

Niña Dioz – Prefiero el Asfalto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXY__-_9jpA

Niña Dioz Nadie como tu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ojHvGphOo

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3 Dope Songs from the Melina Jones-SF’s Mistress of Ceremonies

January 5, 2014 By

Melina JonesTalk about old school. Melina Jones‘ hip-hop career began in Bernal Heights , SF when she was barely 2 years old. That’s when her soul-singer father, Ernest East, stuck a microphone in her hand and pushed the record button on his old black-and-chrome Slimline tape recorder.

What followed was about 90 seconds of something like “I kick ya’ ath! I kick ya’ ath,” remembers Jones of those very early demo days. “When I was about 10, I heard ‘Five Minutes of Funk’ by Whodini. I would never be the same again.

In high school I got a job at a record store and bought Eric B & Rakim‘s ‘Follow the Leader.’ It was all over.” During high school, up in Humboldt County, Jones started her first band, called Slim Liquor. The sound was a mix of funk, hip-hop, spoken word and good old rock ‘n’ roll. But the rapper in Jones could not be held back for long, as she would invariably steal the show with freestyle rhyme sessions as the leader of her second band, the Sum of Forces. After a couple of years of gigging around town by night (and driving a cab by day), Jones decided to focus on her solo career. With the help of her producer, Deedot, Jones has refined her solo voice. “It’s been on from the dawn,” she says.

Source: SF Gate

Check out Melina’s latest releases HERE—> http://melinajonesmusic.com/

Below is a video where Melina breaks down who she is..

http://vimeo.com/50374689

Melina Jones O-N-L-Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqySHYU3MjE

Melina Jones Family

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMGcTklQUB4

Do DAT & Melina Jones The Bridge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J_eJXH0GW4

 

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3 Dope Songs from Mala Rodriguez…First Lady of Spain

January 4, 2014 By

 

Maria Rodriguez Maria Rodríguez was born in Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz on February 13, 1979.She grew up in Seville and became involved with the city’s thriving hip-hop scene as a teenager. The daughter of a hairdresser, she describes herself as being from a middle-class family, saying, “My mother and I are both young, and all I know is that my family experienced hunger back then, and that sticks with you. I didn’t grow up with luxury, but I never missed a meal either.” At age seventeen, she performed onstage for the first time, and adopted the stage name La Mala.

She rose to prominence in the late ’90s alongside fellow Sevillian hip-hop acts such as La Gota Que Colma, SFDK, and La Alta Escuela. After she adopted the stage name La Mala, she appeared on La Gota Que Colma’s album Mordiendo el Micro on the songs “No Hay Rebaja“, and “Dando Guerra“.

She also appeared on SFDK’s Siempre Fuertes and La Alta Escuela’s En Pie de Vuelo on the song “Espectáculo en la Gancha”. She made her solo debut with A Jierro/Toma la Traca, a maxi-single released by Zona Bruta in 1999. The song was originally planned for release by Zeroporsiento, a Sevillian label for which she had recorded the tracks.

In 2000, she signed to Universal Music Spain, and released her full-length debut album, Lujo Ibérico. The album went gold and sold over 50,000 copies. Her second album, Alevosía, was also popular, featuring the single, “La Niña”. The song gained notability when its controversial music video was banned from Spanish TV because of its depiction of a young female drug dealer.

Her hip-hop songs are greatly influenced by flamenco music. Her songs often discuss issues such as poverty, racism, domestic violence, and female empowerment.

source: wikipedia

Mala Rodríguez – Volvere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woUJT5qY3HQ

Mala Rodriguez – Jugadoras Jugadores

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b07ipRJYg34

Mala Rodríguez – Amor y Respeto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALr7BL2XIyQ

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3 Dope Songs from StaHHr a True Empress on the Mic

January 3, 2014 By

StaHHROne of the nicest emcees on the mic who folks need to know about is a sista named StaHHr who hails from Atlanta and can best be described as a ‘lyrical warrior’. Her 3 albums, Almost Neva Was, That Was You? and Mother Nature With A Molotov: Molotov Season are must have items..
‎

When talking with her, she makes it clear she represents Hip Hop and its essence to the fullest hence the spelling of her name.. The 2 ‘H’s stand for Hip Hop’. She’s also clear about the fact that her lyrical prowess  and ability to execute killer freestyles is connected to her maintaining holistic spiritual, mental and physical health.

Below are 3 Dope Songs from this sista who not only nice on the mic, but dope on the crochet tip, but that’s a whole other story for another day..

 

Noire which is French for Black is one of my favorite songs by StaHHr. Its on this track that she shows and proves that she can take your lunch money both as a skilled lyricist and as an insightful, scholarly intellectual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4OsR0aDzzA

Another dope song in that same vein is Revolution which pays tribute to the late Troy Davis who many fought for when he was on death row. In this track StaHHr shows she quite capable of shutting you down and taking your money on the revolution/ freedom fighting tip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Eh45zc8eQ

Still Dope is produced by MF Doom and captures the essence of what Hip Hop should ideally be about..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qWUj_ZXNvU

Many people including StaHHr herself, consider this 2010 joint ‘Unbreakable’ to be a classic. StaHHr flow is impeccable and is paired with a mesmerizing beat that keeps your head nodding and your ears holding on the very word she spits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LctYWY9e1zE

Filed Under: 2014 Daily News, 3 Dope songs Tagged With: , , , ,
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