Sunday, December 9, 2012

Congrats to "The Flush" check out this interview

Last year, October 6-8, the Flush teamed with SMKA to record the first-ever Stankonia Sessions, a mixtape featuring 20 emcees who performed at the A3C Hip-Hop Festival. This year, the grueling experiment officially became a festival ritual.
Like last year's compilation, this year's Stankonia Sessions is a reflection of what A3C has become: a wide range of voices and talent. "You might be standing next to someone who's stupid dope - who might not be a headlining artist, but could be super talented. That is the beauty of A3C," said Jeron Ward of the Flush, the production trio housed in Stankonia Studios.
This time however, both SMKA and the Flush (also featuring Go Dreamer and Rick Walkk) essentially opened its doors to any billed emcee up for the challenge - rappers who they might not have heard otherwise - and shed them under a decisively spacey and ambient light.
When Ward sat down with CL in Stankonia Studios, Phantogram was recording new material after having contributed to Big Boi's second solo album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (out December 11). Those new songs will appear in a greater Flush compilation scheduled for next year, in addition to projects by Go Dreamer and Spree Wilson.
Before moving on completely though, Ward chatted about the biggest surprises and personal favorite tracks off this year's Stankonia Sessions 2012, plus what's new about #NewAtlanta. An edited and condensed transcript follows after the jump.
How would you compare this year's recording process to last year's? Last year, we did a very particular job about picking out select people; this time, we really made an effort to expand and bring in a lot of different voices, a lot of different artists that we may not have necessarily and initially been familiar with. We used Stankonia Sessions to become familiar with these different artists, different people and different styles and different vibes. There was a lot of people that I had just met when they walked in the door, because it might have been someone that Blake recommended or SMKA brought up. We all just came together, put the egos way out there in the parking lot and just came in to make some dope music.
The A3C roster is huge. How did you guys reach out to artists? Our primary contact was Mike [Walbert] with SMKA. He's the artist coordinator for a lot of the stuff that goes on through A3C, so we literally had the whole entire A3C roster to go through. We would make a wishlist and mark 1's, 2's, 3's - 1's being the people we most wanted to get, 2's being people that we definitely wanted to get and 3's would be people who we've worked with before. Then we attacked it and said, "Okay, who can we get in here? Let's get in contact with them, and let's get them in the studio." At the end of the day though, we were offering Stankonia to people. It's not that hard to get in here.
How many of your 1's and 2's made it into the studio? Pretty much all of them. We kind of missed out on more of the heavyweight artists. They had pretty busy schedules, like Tech N9ne. Who else? Raekwon. We were trying to get them in here, but it was tough to pin them down for a certain amount of the time to come in and record something.
Of all the people you reached out to, who surprised you the most? The person who surprised me the most was an artist by the name of Los. I was familiar with him, but I hadn't really heard his music. He came in the middle of us making a track, and he caught the vibe and then did a freestyle. Matter of fact, the first track on the project ["The Sparks"] with Thurz, Skyzoo, and Ro Spit, he was like, "That one right there. That's what I'm on right now. It's just got that '90s feel to it, and he was doing his whole b-boy thing to it. So he caught the vibe and when he went into the booth and started rapping. I said, "Okay, that was tight, " so he was like, "Yeah - record that. Just stop the plan, record and get that done." There were others too. Ro Spit, he surprised me as well. In general it was a huge opportunity to discover new artists, and it was cool that we discovered them while working with them too.
Was there a conversation amongst the producers, about the vibe you wanted to strike? Our biggest thing was that we wanted to be different. We wanted it to feel like a breath of fresh air. We didn't want to put it out and have someone say, "Oh, this sounds like that, and that sounds like this." The whole goal was to make this whole body of work, where you can't say that this sounds like something else. ... Even with the artists, we were telling them, "Just be yourself." We're in Stankonia - there's no rules here. Do whatever the fuck you want to do and make it work.
One of my favorite tracks is "The B.A.S.S. Act 1." Just when I felt like I was in a video game, out comes a Mario Bros. sample. That was a track that Go Dreamer spearheaded. Dreamer's production is very animated. It's like, "The B.A.S.S. Act 1." So he had the idea for the track, and we actually had Bizarre in here. We had Bizarre come in and listen to the track, and he was bobbing his head to it, like, "Yeah, this is cool." We were slightly intimated, because we do respect Bizarre as an artist, and we're definitely fans of him too, so having him in here was kind of like, "Okay, cool. I hope he's feeling it." He caught the vibe and put his verse on it. Dreamer came in; he put his verse on it. And later on, he sent the track to Jarren Benton. It was pieced together very organically; nothing was forced, and everyone was putting their own vibe on it, just make sure that it was dope and different.
What is your favorite track off Stankonia Sessions? One of my personal favorites is "The Sparks." I like what happened with the production there, especially with the Röyksopp sample. I just like the energy and the vibe off that one. Another one would be "Ex-Games" with Emilio Rojas and Aleon Craft. I could go on, but if I had to keep it to one, I would say "The Sparks" is my favorite.
"Ex-Games" reminded me a little of The Weeknd and Illangelo. I was just thinking of how vengeful The Weeknd tends to sound, when I realized, "Oh, they're talking about ex-girlfriends." I made that track after breaking up with a girlfriend, so that was where "Ex-Games" came from. I was in a weird place - I was mad, but I was also not mad. That's why I think the track sounds very static and feels very uncomfortable, almost very spacey type. ... Am I supposed to be pissed off, or am I supposed to be cool about it? My biggest thing about music is that it's just an expression of how you're feeling. Music is feeling in audio format.
What do you think this year's compilation says about this year in rap? Rap music in general? I would say in general, it represents diversity. I think rap and music in general is just in a place where people really just want to hear something that's dope. I think we've become tired of the over-processed, the bullshit, and the force-fed music. People are becoming smart enough that they don't want to hear that anymore, and we have the opportunity to voice our opinions through comments. I think it represents quality, and I think it represents diversity when it comes to music. There's so many different artists across the country that are so talented, and I think we did a good job capturing that diversity on a single product. It's more of a united, creative, collective effort. That's a lot of what we're pushing with the New Atlanta stuff, just collective unity when it comes to being an artist. You don't have to be, "Fuck you, and fuck you too." It's like, "Hey you're dope. I'm dope. Why don't we work together and be doper?"
Why the name New Atlanta? What's the difference between New Atlanta and "old" Atlanta? It's about representing a new energy. Atlanta is a city that operates in different phases, and I really believe that New Atlanta is representative of a culture that's been brewing here. It's actually a byproduct of OutKast, Dungeon Family, Stankonia, of that music that we all grew up listening to. I was in high school listening to "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" and Stankonia. Those are my heroes, and so now people are at a place where, it's our turn to tell that story about Atlanta. It's our turn to tell people on the West Coast what it feels like to go to a party on Friday night in Atlanta, or where we go to eat. ... It's inspired by, if you want to call it that, "old" Atlanta. We're inspired by OutKast, Goodie Mob, Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, people who helped create the city to where it is now, and we're taking that influence and just reinterpreting it and going higher from it. It's our turn to step up and be the leaders of our generation and our culture.
At last year's Stankonia Sessions mixtape listening party, you were most looking forward to putting out what's now [Big Boi's] "Mama Told Me." What is the Flush most looking forward to putting out in 2013? Oh man. We got so much stuff in the works, and we're definitely developing a really dope team. What I'm really looking forward to is the Little Dragon version of "Mama Told Me" coming out, then "CPU." We got some dope stuff going on with Spree Wilson right now; I'm really, really looking forward to that reaching its full potential next year. I'm looking forward to Dreamer and what he's doing, and we're going to be working with all the new artists involved in New Atlanta, just the whole culture. I'm really ready to see New Atlanta take over.
We got Forte Bowie. Oh! Marian Mereba is so dope. She doesn't know that I really, really like her yet, because I was trying to be low-key about it, but I'm planning on getting her in the studio real soon and turn her onto some dope shit. Her voice is so cool; it's a mix of Erykah Badu and Little Dragon's Yukimi [Nagano]. She's got a really unique vibe that I don't even think she understands all the way.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Notorious B.I.G.'s Graphic Autopsy Report Revealed (@123)

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 



The autopsy report for Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace from 1997 has finally been revealed by TMZ.  He was painfully shot four times in various parts of his body during a drive-by shooting on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles while he sat in the passenger seat of a Chevy Suburban.  Despite his size, as he was 6'1, 395lbs, the bullets did too much damage to several vital organs for him to survive the attack.
According to the autopsy report, only one bullet was actually fatal, while the other three just contributed to massive blood loss.
The first bullet apparently entered his left forearm and made it's way down to his wrist.  The second hit Biggie in his back but managed to avoid striking any of his vital organs, and eventually exited through his left shoulder.  The third bullet entered the outer part of his left thigh and exited through his inner left thigh before striking his scrotum and causing a 3/8 inch laceration.  The fourth bullet is what caused the irreparable damage.
It struck Biggie in his right hip and ultimately destroyed many of his vital organs before stopping around his left shoulder.  The fatal bullet ripped through his colon, liver, upper lobe of his left lung and his heart.  After he was rushed to the hospital the doctors tried their best to perform an emergency thoracotomy, but there was no saving him.  At 1:15am the hip hop legend was pronounced dead.
No drugs or alcohol were found in his system, and the coroner listed him as being "morbidly obese." Biggie was later ID'd by his wife and mother.  He was only 24-years-old.
Source: tmz.com

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

"Gangnam Style" Artist Psy Rapped About Killing American Troops (@psy_oppa)

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 



In the past, famed "Gangnam Style" Korean rapper Psy wasn't always making music about dancing and "sexy ladies."  Instead he focused on much more serious, politically driven topics and actually recorded a song called "Dear American" with Korean rock band N.E.X.T. in which he rhymed about killing American soldiers. The song was made back in 2004 during a protest against U.S. forces in Iraq when he and many others were angry about the beheading of a Korean missionary and they let their voice be heard through music.
Psy spit:
"Kill those f-cking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives
Kill those f-cking Yankees who ordered them to torture
Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law and fathers
Kill them all slowly and painfully"
He was clearly upset at that moment, but given his current international stardom in which his "Gangnam Style" has the most views on YouTube, it would appear as though he's put those past angry feelings about America behind him.  He is scheduled to visit President Obama at the National Building Museum's Christmas event this weekend.
Source: hiphopwired.com

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Snoop Dogg: Katt Williams Needs Help "Before He Goes Too Far" (@snoopdogg @s...

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 



Snoop dogg is an old friend of Katt Williams, and Katt's recent public downward spiral has the living rap legend very concerned for his well being.  He feels as though Katt is at a crossroads where he is in jeopardy of going too far and losing himself forever.  Snoop believes that someone needs to wake him up and get him some professional help before it is too late.
Snoop stated the following to TMZ:
"Katt needs some help man. Somebody needs to really sit him down and get him some help.  'm his friend man ... I really wanna see him get some help man before he goes too far.  Whoever really got love for Katt that's around him, you need to take him and go get him some help."
Source: tmz.com

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Chief Keef Hit With Child Support & Happily Agrees To Terms (@chiefkeef)

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 



With Chief Keef's (legally known as Keith Cozart) wealth steadily rising, and his album, Finally Rich, set to go on sale on December 18th, his baby's mama "Kay Kay" has served the 17-year-old rapper with some child support papers to ensure that he plays his part in supporting their daughter.  As it is common these days for the fathers get frustrated with the terms of their child support payments, and they often try to combat the sum that they must pay up, Keef is happy to be there for his daughter, and tweeted pics of the papers he was served with.
Check them out above.
Source: hiphopwired.com

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Eminem Defends Daughter Hailie In Taylor Swift Twitter Attack (@taylorswift13)

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 



Taylor Swift caused an uproar on Twitter recently when rumors flared that she's been dating One Direction star Harry Styles. Enraged One Direction fans threw rocks at Swift on Twitter for taking their crush, and Eminem's daughter Hailie Jade Mathers was rumored to be a part of it.
The Twitter account claiming to be Hailie tweeted, "Dear Taylor Swift, please stop whoring around with every guy you see. We all know you're only doing it so you can make another album...I am never, ever, ever, listening to your music again. Like ever."
Apparently fake Hailie Jade accounts have popped up in the past, and it turns out this one was fake as well. A rep for Eminem reached E! News and let them know the account was not real.
Check out recent pictures of Hailie. My oh my has she grown.
Source: inflexwetrust.com

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Baby Mama Drama: Erykah Badu Puts Jay Electronica On Blast For Posting Photo...

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 

via Bossip by thatsmybiz1 on 12/8/12

erykah jay

She couldn't call Tyrone errr Jay? In case you missed it, Friday we posted a photo of Erykah Badu and Jay Electronica's rarely seen daughter Mars which came courtesy of Jay's Instagram account.

Well apparently Ms. Badu don't play dat. Late Friday night she Tweeted her ex-boo thang:

photo(2)

Talk about a co-parenting fail. Couldn't this have been solved with a phone conversation?

Badu seems to have removed the tweet this morning but the damage is already done.

Some things are just not for Twitter, don'tcha think? Is Badu just salty Jay has moved on to that filthy rich white lady or did she want the whole world to know she doesn't want pictures of her kids floating around?

Hit the flip for a look at their lovely little lady and her sister Puma.



 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

LoveRance - Freak Of The Industry Mixtape [DOWNLOAD]

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 

via Hip-Hop Wired by Kazeem Famuyide (@RealLifeKaz) on 12/8/12

Up-and-coming Bay Area rapper and "Up" hitmaker LoveRance drops a brand new mixtape called Freak Of The Industry. 

Hosted by DJ Skee, LoveRance calls up on a few of his buddies to drop this new party-infused tape. Tyga, Problem, Clyde Carson, Fillmoe Fontaine, Omarion, 50 Cent, J-Doe , Dom Kennedy and more.

Trey Parker and Tenacious D make appearance on skits in this mixtape and production on this tape includes The Invasion, TJ Hooker, League Of Starz, The Hitbangaz and more all get behind the boards.

After the jump you can stream and download Freak Of The Industry mixtape down below.


 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

B.o.B and Taylor Swift Perform ‘Both of Us’ at Z100′s Jingle Ball

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 

via Rap-Up.com by Rap-Up on 12/8/12

B.o.B and Taylor Swift

It was far from a silent night at Z100's annual Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday. In addition to performances from Justin Bieber, fun., and Ne-Yo, B.o.B and Taylor Swift shared the stage to perform their Strange Clouds collaboration "Both of Us" live for the first time.

"She's America's sweetheart, a real genuine person," Bobby Ray told Rap-Up.com of his collaborator.

The two struck up a friendship after performing "Airplanes" together in Dallas last year.

On Wednesday night, Taylor beatboxed with another hip-hop superstar, LL Cool J, while co-hosting the Grammy nominations special.

"I am like 100 percent sure we are not going to be nominated for that collaboration," she told LL.


 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

New Couple??? Keri Hilson Celebrates Her Birthday AGAIN With OKC Baller Serg...

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 

via Bossip by hiphopobama on 12/8/12

Screen shot 2012-12-08 at 11.03.41 AM

All she wants for her birthday is big "Johnson" baller…

Keri Hilson Seen Celebrating Her Birthday With Serge Ibaka In OKC

Yesterday we showed you guys some pics of the struggle love going down at Keri's bday party in ATL. Today we came across some pics on Tumblr and Instagram of Miss Keri Baby lookin' real booed-up in Oklahoma City with Thunder baller Serge Ibaka.

Has Keri kicked her long-time, non-celebrity boyfriend, Errol Petty, to the curb for a famous basketball player that she said she had no interest in dating???

Last year about this same time Keri went on record saying:

Via EURWeb

"Yeah, I did kind of say that," the 29-year-old told EURweb. "What I meant by that was honestly, I put a lot in that category – rappers, sports players, ball players and things like that. I would never say "never," but I want something real. I want real love. I don't want this red carpet Hollywood love. I feel like they're easily penetrated, and that's something that I don't want. I don't want publicity. I want love."

Sounds like someone has switched her pitch. Maybe that congolese schlong imparted some "wisdom" into her life.

Ladies would you "break your rule" for a piece of this 6'10 man meat???

Peep more pics from the OKC birthday party with Serge on the flipper.

Images via Tumblr/Instagram



 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Game Gets Dr. Dre’s Stamp of Approval for ‘Jesus Piece’

 
 

Sent to you by Forest via Google Reader:

 
 

via Rap-Up.com by Rap-Up on 12/8/12

Game and Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre and Game's relationship hasn't always been perfect. But the Doc is giving his protégé props for his new album Jesus Piece. The super-producer sent Game a text message congratulating him on the release and calling the album "dope."

"The song with the D'Angelo sample ["All That (Lady)"] is fuckin Crazy. Great job," he told him via iMessage.

"Couldn't do it without you Doc," responded Game, who shared their iPhone conversation on Twitter.

"When Dr. Dre STAMP the album…….. You know it's a fuckin CLASSIC !!!!!" he wrote.

Dre produced "Dead People," which appears as an iTunes bonus track on Jesus Piece, available Tuesday.

Dr. Dre Text


 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Friday, December 7, 2012

DJ NICKY

  DJ NICKY SPINNING
THE FACTORY VOL.2
"FRAT HOUSE" LIVE IN THE BAKERSFIELD CALI NIGHT CLUBS !!!! HIT HIM UP ON FACE BOOK
http://facebook.com/Nicky.Stobaugh