Reo Iammusic dropped a ton of videos on us recently from his youtube channel realresistencetv. There are definitely a few nicely polished gems in there. Revenge of the Nerds and Pursuit of Happiness are standouts for me. There is always something awesome when someone melodically sings “fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.” Both tracks are from his ambitious upcoming project The Collage.
About Reo Iammusic in his own words. “My style is diverse, I have multiple styles to meet whatever your musical preference is. Im a regular dude that came up rough and decided to take the high route rather than the down hill slope that most of my peers take. I love music, Fly ass cars, fre$h ass clothes and evolution…my team (T.R.E x WinnerCircle) is putting on for SaintLouis in a huge way!”
Right, speak on it homie. A lot of people say that though, you gotta show and prove right? This isthe video that really grabbed my attention.
Any Questions? Check out his new new shit here ~ PEACE, Sikboy
932 Crew is sicker than your average. Always coming slicker and more precise than the myriad of groups battling for music fans attention these days. Made up mostly of DJs and producers the production value on their projects is locked in professionalism and loaded with style. This multifaceted crew can often methodically spark your brain with an approach that you weren’t aware that you liked, but now you know. Some of the current 932 soldiers are Splitface, Alleyes Manifest, DJ Self Help, Hearz Kra-Z, Jonathan Jinx, DJ Sonryze and the Solkon Familia among others.
This uncommon crew had a very common and humble beginning I asked Co-founder Splitface how it started to which he replied ”932 was founded in 2002 when we hosted a weekly emcee battle in a basement in Belleville, IL. Eventually people were driving from St. Louis to come and hang out and let loose on the turntables and microphone every week. I think it worked because we accepted any and all, let them party and kept it free. That’s how all of the original members met including where I met Michael Bridgmon a.k.a. Alleyes Manifest.”
932 has since moved out of the basement, some of them out of the midwest and they have definitely moved into other artistic areas. A strong visual presence has emerged, from live lighting presentation to video directing and graphic design. They have also always maintained a strong graffiti art presence to keep the word literally on the streets. When I asked Splitface “What’s up with today’s 932?”
He replied “I was talking to a friend and frequent music collaborator from St.Louis, Jus Time last winter when the idea came up to make the crew into a record label. It felt like the natural next step for 932. I brought the idea to Michael (Alleyes) and he was immediately onboard. He became the label’s aesthetic administrator. In 2011, Crew 932 began functioning as a small record label. Since 932′s roots are in hip hop, electronic, punk, hardcore and so forth that helps keep us diverse and open-minded. The vision is to focus on releasing great music from a variety of genre’s while putting an emphasis on mirroring regional spirit and becoming a resource for fans and artists.”
The latest release from the Crew is the joint effort Bloody Blvd. From Alleyes Manifest and Splitface. The duo flow through the 8 track EP like the ocean, with even melodic flows and also exciting violent crashes. Moving through verses and breaks symbiotically, it’s quite obvious these tracks and rhymes were constructed for each other and fit like a well-tailored suit. Split’s sonic mastery resonates from a million directions as Alleyes explores both the raucous and righteous sides of a revolutionary mind as he raps and sings his way through this project. When I asked Alleyes how he balances those sides of his persona he said “I see what goes on around tv, people, and capture that emotion. I love God so that will always shine in” righteous indeed. Alleyes also handled the slick contemporary graphic design for the hard copies that comes with a couple stickers inside (at least mine did).
Here’s the break down, Track 1 Mission Statement is just that, split brings it back to that old boom bap with a rebel rock flair and Alleyes rocks it with aggression and solid lyrics standing strong with the confidence of a Chuck D or Nato Caliph. No.2 Lost and All Alone is a modern-day hip-hop blues song haunting piano lines and harmonica (I think) with Alleyes crooning about losing his soul he seems to channel Howling Wolf himself. I envision this record crackling through a phonograph while Alleyes drinks whisky on a rickety bayou porch, debating with Beelzebub over his mortal soul.
No.3 Wicked and Witty is a bragadocious track about St. Louis. Alleyes and special Guest Mathias of Indyground both come off, you know the steez on this one, can’t fuck with STL. No.4 Reading Life Split is sounding like late era Gravedigga’s on this one, Alleyes keeps the art of story telling alive taking you through the strife of existence. No. 5 Life on the Road this ones for the artists as well as the fans if you have ever been on any kind of tour, this ones for you. The freedoms and the restrictions of road life are told from a first hand view, with verses from STL alumni J-Toth and Jus Time. This should be on every touring crews road trip mixtape.
No.6 is called Bloody Blvd and is also on the EP, not my favorite one, judge for yourself. No.0 7 Fly Away is straight up beautiful, whether you’re a thug or not or a Thugernaut (yes I make up words) if you don’t think this is a cool track you should broaden your horizons. No. 8 time for some classic Splitface shine this instrumental makes me want to cop a bag of shrooms and drive through the desert in a stolen Camaro Firebird, check out the promo video by Jonathan Jinx.
Cop this twice, limited edition hard copies and itunes version are available from the 932 site, check out the vast array of 932 ruckus while your there, peace out ~ Sikboy
I always considered my self blessed that I grew up in the golden era of Hip-Hop and Alternative rock. The 80′s and early 90′s produced legendary acts like RUN-DMC and Public Enemy to Jane’s Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Every generation will have their greats but I will never hesitate to say that we had it Gooooood. One of my favorite parts of growing up with a brand new genre and culture such as hip-hop, is watching it grow and expand its horizons. After catching the top videos of the week, shaking my head in dismay, I received an e-mail like a refreshing breeze from the band A Cool Stick complete with their new EP A Bird’s Eye View.
This Baltimore quartet have definitely taken Hip-Hop down their own path. Vocalist Luke O’Brien puts down life affirming, party raps with a relaxed melodic flow. Recently discovering he could also sing added a new level to the EP, which gives it a new sound from previous projects. The band is composed of well-rounded artists. Princeton music student Matt Wong is on Bass, Guitarist Sean Mckeon still takes weekly lessons even though it’s obvious he doesn’t NEED to and Drummer Brian Aranda started the spark and vision with Luke back in 09, and have they’ve been building ever since.
The power of live instrumentation is on full display on tracks 1 and 2 Water and You Are. Track 4 Smile has a Jamiraquai-esq live disco vibe, sure to get the ladies dancin. Besides the new EP the band has been busy showing their live skills with a recent New York album debut, performances with Sam Adams and Citizen Cope also a hot opening spot for Beck and Stalley in their Baltimore and D.C. shows. I recently got the chance to ask them a couple of ?’s about all the new Cool Stick buzz, here’s what they told me.
Sikboy: What elements and/or experiences went into the new EP?
ACS: ”We’ve grown A LOT since our first EP. Since then we’ve had some line-up changes in the band, and Luke put out his solo project, The Dopeness. This was our first opportunity to get something that was really representative of where we are in our lives, and as musicians. This is a much more mature, thought out product than our first release, and we’re extremely proud of it. Overall, recording is always a great experience, and we’re looking forward to writing and writing and writing”.
How was the recent New York debut?
“The New York debut was definitely dope, plus it was black-tie, so everyone was looking crispy. We all have a lot of friends from school and life that ended up in the city, and the fact that it was our release only made the crowd even crazier. We ended up not performing because of some logistics, but we partied hard with our fans to celebrate the release of the album, it ended up being a blast, and people were loving the new music. We love NY.”
The Hippie Girl video looked fun, are there plans for more video’s?
“The Hippie Girl video was a blast, and there’s definitely plans for more videos. We want to make a video for every song on this EP, and those are in the works”.
What do you guys have going on right now, how can people find it?
“Right now we’re working on booking again. We’ve got to where we are by playing a ton of shows, and getting our name out there. We’ve been performing less frequently, since we’ve been working on this EP, but we’re filling up our schedule as we speak. So aside from looking for us in your hometown, be on the look out for some videos, and you can always find the newest-latest onacoolstick.com“
I’m looking forward to watching A Cool Stick take flight. In the meantime I can always twist one and vibe to A Birds Eye View when I need an escape. I highly recommend everyone do the same, the hustle and bustle of the world isn’t going anywhere, here’s the link.
G-Easy is one of my favorite new artists period. His self producing, self promoting, indie grind is a testament to artists everywhere. Producing his own tracks, his sound is a finely tuned vision. Lacing his own work with slick raps, his finished projects radiate good vibrations like the Beach Boys, in 2012 mode. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen someone successfully create something so uniquely fresh. When producing he can be found dusting off decades old records from a golden American music era, and converting them into hip-hop form. The romanticism and swing of 50′s-60′s Doo-wop and classic rock staples, are captured and blended into a modern sound, without losing their original appeal.
G-Easy hails from Oakland California, which comes through in his music’s breezy demeanor. Currently chillin in New Orleans (but showing up everywhere) I’m sure the Big Easy adds to the heavy party vibe his projects are laced with.He has been steadily building a fan based following through midwest club dates and has also graced arena shows with the likes of Lil Wayne and Drake. G is currently working on finishing school and on a nationwide tour with Mod Sun and Shwayze to self-promote his new album Endless Summer . Check out the slick first video Runaround Sue.
Fan reports from the road say he’s killin every show. You can check the tour dates on the official website here.
I had never heard of Pancho Rucker untill I met him this summer, now every time I hear one of his tracks I say to myself “Damn! how did you miss this guy?” Pancho is an intelligent smart ass, which is the most dangerous kind. He likes to cuss, drink, and rap, and he is masterful at all three. P Rucks is back this fall and about to drop, in my opinion, his most polished project to date the affectionately named Kurt Cobain Music. I was privileged enough to get an advanced copy from Shogun Music Group. The album left me with a feeling similar to when Courtney Love showed me and 10,000 other people her ripped pink panties (while in them) at Lollapalooza 95, kinda shocked, a little scared, but definitely into it.
While a lot of artists in Hip-Hop spend too much time trying to act like they don’t have feelings. Pancho was busy pouring his into his music with no holds barred and nothing is off the table. Laughter, anger, love and pain (or lack thereof) are all put in a blender and set to liquify. The highs or so high that you might need oxygen and lows are beautifully low, I’ve never had this much fun being depressed, this project is impeccably balanced. If you’re not bipolar now, you could be after you get this album, but hey join the club, it’s fun to laugh and cry at the same time.
Lyricly Pancho laces fearless poetic flows with melodic tracks like they were made for each other, because they were. Producing 10 of the tracks himself he doesn’t skimp on the bass kicks or the rock, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and System of a Down are nicely sampled and have never quite bumped like this. 14kt and Ola Beatz also contribute musically as Pancho takes us through many of curses and rewards of life including society, relationships, government and religion. The official release date of this project is Nov. 1st but you can preorder it and check out a couple of tracks on the link below. This album makes me happy like I found my friends and their in my head, I give it 5 suicide notes written to imaginary childhood friends. ~ Sikboy
And you say Saint Louis, yes indeed till the lights go out, we like to scream it actually. When I was asked by longtime friend and festival organizer/Midwest Avenger John Harrington to come down to SLUMfest and do some interviews, I was ecstatic. I quickly decided to make Issue 2 strictly dedicated to the festival. Seeing that the mission of the SLUMfest organization and the Locash Movement is one in the same, and that is simply to blow up the Saint Louis scene, It’s a perfect fit and we are happy to be affiliated.
Without further delay we proudly present Issue 2 – The S.L.U.M.fest edition. This is a 28 page homage to Saint Louis talent in all forms, Complete with 3 exclusive interviews the first with festival organizer and promoter extraordinaire Robert “Roboo” Ford, the second with musical-social movement Red Zero and the third with The Force/Hawthorn Headhunters rock star Black Spade. We also cover the entire event from start to finish and everyone involved is covered from the Musicians and the B-boys to the Artist’s and Organizers and the most important part of any festival the crowd.
When my partner and I (Scott Calhoun of Cyanide Studios) realized the scope of this years event we realized we were not going to be everywhere, we were also inspired by the unity vibe of the festival and with the Locash Movement being a collective concept, we thought how cool it would be to take photo submissions from the crowd and everyone could have the chance to be part of the magazine as well. We reached out to the deep talent poole of professional and amateur photographers in Saint Louis and the response was amazing and the finished product is even better.
In this one publication we’re reppin not only ourselves but the S.L.U.Mfest organization all the performers and artists as well as the photographers and journalists that were there and even just the people taking pictures of their friends. Supporting this publication is like supporting yourself it’s all one love, we just put in one place and gave it a name. You can order yours here in print for 5 bucks or digital download, but I suggest getting one you can hold in your hand’s and if your were there, you very well could be in it! if you were not there, you will feel like you were. Follow this link.
Con-scious [kon-shuhs] – adjective- having the mental faculties fully active and aware of one’s own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
Em-cee [em-see]-noun- master of ceremonies.
Saint Louis emcee Lyfestile is remarkably well-balanced. On one hand his style reminds me of an all-star linebacker, fiercely loyal to his territory and you can’t get nothin past him. On the flip side to that, he also resembles an MVP quarterback, surgically dissecting an issue with intellect or just relentlessly pounding out artistic yardage with one well crafted banger after another, either way he’s solid and capable.
After being heavily influenced by local musicians as a youngster, he felt he had something to say and started his own journey in 92-93. Lyfe would frequent local hot spots for hip-hop like the Hi-Point and “The Science” on Fridays at Blueberry Hill, loitering tryin to do his thing. In those days the sidewalk ciphers were his training grounds. Today he’s progressed far beyond that, wrecked many stages, recorded his own jams and keeps some heavy company, but still loves politicking in the streets. In his recent track “See How it Sounds” he boasts “Music makes us high, plus we make a little money/ fuck VIP I’m outside lookin bummy.” Whether you catch him inside or out, if there is a worthy event in his area if he’s not playin it, he’s there somewhere. Lyfe is well-known around the city, but even if you didn’t know him he’s easily recognizable, with 4 foot dreads and a calm demeanor, he’s polite and quiet untill you give a mic or put him in front of a camera ( It’s always the quite ones).
The role of a “conscious Emcee” is one he’s willing to take on and won’t shy away from. He does however think of it as a gift and a curse. Not wanting to be categorized, he keeps a wide array of topics in his music, but more simply while drawing from his own experiences, he doesn’t want to talk down to anybody, he just wants to do the right thing. “I have the same problems as everybody else” he states. When I asked him what else he’s into he replied that he’s a dedicated family man and said “My family is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” outside of that, he admits that he’s consumed by hip-hop and heavily into art, always looking for new ways to expand on his foundation. His thirst for knowledge has recently led him to try to get in touch with his partial Cherokee heritage ”It reminds me I have a lot to learn about myself” he says.
After years of building Lyfestile has paved some solid ground. An accomplished artist in his own right he also belongs to 2 groups, Altered St8′s of consciousness with his partner Amene, and Plan B with Nato Caliph, and DJing for both groups is Fly-DX of the infamous Wax Murderaz (remember when I said heavy company.) Formerly on the F5 label, Lyfesile and his partners are currently independent artist shaking the Saint Louis underground to its core, but also taking every chance to rep their city on the road as well. Recently returning from the SXSW festival in Texas, Lyfe says “It’s an amazing event with good people, food and weather, walking around politicking, plus we went so deep this time.” Family Affair, Black Spade, Corey Black, Tef Poe and Rockwell Knuckles joined the road trip to rep STL to the fullest. Here’s some footage of Lyfe and his partner from Plan B Nato Caliph, rockin some solo joints at SXSW. Nato kicks it off with “Prophecies“ and Lyfestile brings it home with “Obsession“ … powerful.
With his open-minded approach Lyfestile’s influences come from many directions, citing Soul, Jazz and Rock-n-Roll as inspiration, “I listen to KSHE95(STL classic rock station) all the time, the 70′s were so ill, my radio is all over the dial.” Listing Soundgarden, Black Sabbath, Three Dog Night and Credence Clearwater Revival as some of his favorite rock classics “I’ll put on some Credence right now!” he laughs. Being able to rock a party is a necessary skill that he defiantly possesses, but when it come to his personal preferences he says sad songs are his favorite.
One of his most admired artists from the Hip-Hop realm is Lupe Fiasco, as a big Lupe fan myself I asked Lyfe about one of my favorite Lupe Lines“And there ain’t no projects/Keeping it real is not an undersood concept” where Lupe speaks of a world where the youth don’t have to follow a certain path to be respected. “It’s an interesting quote” Lyfe says, “and I think keepin it real can be misconstrued, It’s annoying when artists say I’m really a drug dealer, I’m just rappin for the hell of it, I think it’s absurd because a lot of kids really buy into that, it just the wrong way to approach it” His sentiments can be felt in his track “Do’s and Dont’s” ft. Fly DX check it.
Last year in attempt to feed his never-ending hunger for expansion, Lyfe got together with friends John Harrington (Midwest Avengers) and Robert Raboo Ford (Hi-Point) amongst others and created the wildly successful Saint Louis Underground Music Festival A.K.A. S.L.U.M. Fest and everyone ate good last summer. “All the element of Hip-Hop are still alive Here” he explains ” I’m always happy to see someone new doing music here, that I don’t know of.” Seeing some divisions in the local scene these visionaries took matters into their own hands.“Todays scene seemed divided, we wanted to reinstate the sence of a Hip-Hop community and bridge the gaps between different crews, we book the best representations from each genre and bring them all together.” This years S.L.U.M. Fest is June 18th with over 70 artists booked, this event is quickly becoming the highlight of STL Summer’s it is held at Atomic Cowboy check out this link for more information. http://www.atomiccowboystl.com/wordpress/?p=510
The 2011 S.L.U.M.Fest promisses to be packed with plenty of culture and good times for all. It will be streamed live by RawCore radio and Locash Magazine is one of the many proud sponsors. Watch for the Official S.L.U.M Fest 2011 rap-up special edition of Locash Mag. (Print Version) available directly from this site shortly after we all recover from our hangover’s. Other than throwing the baddest party in the Lou, Lyfestile is putting together his solo album and says the long-awaited Plan-B album is also on its way. When speaking to such a dedicated artist, he sums up his experiences with simple rules like “Let your art speak for itself” and “Never compromise your integrity.” It’s refreshing to talk to someone who wants to see other artist succeed with no animosity, because he knows he’s good. ~ Sikboy
