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issue 11
inside this issue: Over 20 album Reviews
“WORK”
Can be a adjective used to describe actions. ex. I WORK hard to be the best artist I can for my fans.
“WORK”
Can also be a noun used to describe a person, place or thing. ex. With 4 cds in the streets i got that “WORK”.
From the beginning this work has been about my fans. I do this WORK for you. Enjoy PB3.
Long live the south
issue 11
table of content
5 Album Reviews
of the 8 Leaders new school
editor: Laron Norman designer: G. Fresh contributing photographers: Tim Williams, Detric Elliot, Laron Norman, Felon Photography coming soon www.dsmrmag.com The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions of the staff or the publisher of the Down South Music Review. The Down South Music Review makes no implied or expressed guarantee of accuracy in the information included within. copyright2013. all rights reserved
Down South
LAWS OF ATTRACTION DON KEY, FRESH MUSIC MEDIA Arkansas super producer and member of the BEATS COMMITTEE, offered up a super sampler of music from the home team. Southwest Boaz, Arkansas Bo and Brandon Richardson contributed heavily to the project and fellow BEAT COMMITTEE member BIG KEYS provided harmonious balance to make it classic piece. There are only 12 tracks but that just means there was less filler and more bang for your buck. The video for “MAKING UP” featuring Aye Tell’em JT and Playa Mone was a DSMR TOP 10 OF 2013 selection.
Album Reviews
It should be difficult for an album released in the top of the 1st quarter of the year and still be a relevant album by the years end. Most good cds in this situation will suffer from the “im gonna top it” syndrome. thats when someone hears your music and creates something that will surpass your effort. In 2013 , several cds came out after it, but as the year closes out no other album matched or surpassed ROD-D’s effort. whether it was PACK FLIPPIN, LEANING OR BAILZ there is something for all kinds of listeners, SHE AIN’T RIGHT WITH DA’ONE alone was a radio buzzer and once KEVIN GATES got on the remix it was a lock.. Certifed bronze by www. datpiff.com for over 25,000 downloads its easy to se why NO DAYS OFF VOL1 was DSMR magazines ALBUM OF THE YEAR. #SALUTE
NO DAYS OFF ROD-D-SMG
THE EXPERIMENT 540 Any industry insider will tell you that the early success
of any group is developing a strong core fan base. 5:40 is a group doing just that. there ep project THE EXPERIMENT is six songs experimenting with hiphop music. Produced at Joker Entertainment studios Dr.KEV worked on the project to insure sound quality. One thing about this group when they do shows they have a loyal fan base that supports them and that goes a long way. #2 on the cd, COUNTDOWN is the song with the most energy but definently a group to keep your eye on.
ZERO TOLERANCE CARUSO-GCC An official first solo release from GCC front man CARUSO THE SAVAGE. A long time favorite group of Southeast Arkansas, Caruso now living out of state put together a standup album. 18 tracks with features from CERTIFIED, SOULJAK, BOI BOSKI, CHAMP THE HILLBILLY and the legend BLACK TRUMP of ACE of SPADES RECORDS. Life is very real in SEARK, there is not a lot of room for coming soon www.dsmrmag.com
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Down South Ablum Reviews (cont.)
error. but because of some of the limitations of resources, its makes the mindset stronger. wiser even.and it’s that mindset that gives artist from that region the ability to paint a picture. tell the story and the end result of real life. I said a lot but check it out for yourself.
STREETS BIGGEST BLESSING-PETEY WEEDSTRAW THO’D STUDIOS. No label can flood the streets like Tho’d Studios.and you would think a market as small as Arkansas couldn’t support the wave, but give the streets quality and they hold up. Originally released in 2012 as a maxi-single,the 2013 full album release brought out alot of the essence of the Little Rock sound. as a member of the GOON SQUAD we got a introduction and every Tho’d CD since there have been glimpses. Perfectly titled THE STREETS BIGGEST BLESSING Petey opened up a 1080p view of a day in the life. Rap is street poetry, and poetry is often used to express emotions and its 6
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the emotional attachment that makes music timeless. The L.I.T.T.L.E.R.O.C.K remix video feature almost all of central Arkansas hiphop heavyweights is a DSMR CLASSIC PLAYLIST addition. #SALUTE
STR8 WORK NO PLAY COUNTRY BOYZ LOFO ENTERPRISES If you didn’t know LOFO is no stranger to making hits. many of Little Rocks’ all-time favorites songs, LOFO was on the beat. So it does make sense when he releases his own project its going to be something worth having. teamed up with Slikk Country the duo have ears poppin in the city. WELCOME TO MY CITY is that one song on the album that everyone in Little Rock rap fan or not should have downloaded in their phone. trust me you’ll want that song to listen to when that moment happens. 10 tracks makes it short and sweet. i warn you do not go to the gym and listen to STUPID FLEXIN at the same time. you’ve been warned.
STR8 HOOD STACK THA POSTMAN BTS ENT. North Little Rock or “NAWFSIDE” is apart of central Arkansas music scene, but make no mistake about it they have their own distinctions. BALL JONES, BOOGIE SHOOEZ, BIG DREW and PIKEBOY all call the Nawfside home. To add your name to the list of legends you gotta keep it G and its has to be real. that one has a zero tolerance. STR8 HOOD offers a straight forward, gritty street album, STACK is genuine and BLT gave him some sounds to work with. this album is also the introduction of the SHORTER GARDEN TWINS. Tank “PRIMETIME” West mixed and hosted the project and in Arkansas there are not many better to get to get it done than West.
By: Laron Norman
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Its
a pleasant Sunday afternoon, Kevin Gates, Starlito, Don Trip, and Fiend have all been in town (Little Rock) this week and everyone is moving a little slow. But we’re getting ready to shoot the photos for the cover of Down South Music Review magazine number 11. It’s on 1 week notice so I expected some of those invited to not be able to schedule, but we planned to work with the ones that could. The kind people at Regina Intus Centre were nice enough to accommodate us and provide an atmosphere conducive to insightful dialogue. One by one everyone that could make it showed up. And after photo flashing i sat down with some of Arkansas’ best talent in hip-hop. Representing all parts of the state everyone was up for networking and exchanging info for future options to work together. That last part of the previous sentence is what was most refreshing. In the inner circles of Arkansas hiphop collaborations have few and far between. Aiding in keeping the state divided. I have personally been at events where
artist and groups from all over the state have come together at the same event, socialized, exchanged numbers and never followed up after that getting back to the sit down. Representing south east Arkansas was producer DJ YUNG STYLEZ and SCOTTY MA’VALOUS. From SW Arkansas SMG’S YUNG GRIM and TOP KEY. NE Ark’s THIRD DEGREE. And from central Arkansas, SUAVIO DA DON and multi-title holder SMOOTH THA DUDE. This group represented a perfect sized focal group to discuss AState hip-hop past, present and future.
...with ASTATES best mix of music, sky’s the limit... Great songs normally always start with the beat. To keep it real if the beat ain’t tight, the lyrics don’t even have a chance. If we were handing out an award for producer of the year, it would be hard to not give it to DJ YUNG STYLEZ. Dermott is where he calls home, but Central Arkansas has been his backyard. The way you can tell whether or not a beatmaker is working is to list for his tag. The more you hear their tag, the more you can put a stamp on it that they what is hot. “SHOUTOUT TO DJ STYLEZ CAUSE ALL HIS BEATS BANGIN” could not only be heard on Arkansas elite talent, but also regional artist on the rise. Recently Gates added Stylez to his in-house coming soon www.dsmrmag.com
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production team. So in 2014, look to hear more of the homegrown. When I asked stylez if there was anywhere in the state he wanted to get some works in. Fayettville and surprising Little Rock was high on his list. Not only is he a beatmaker but is skills on the 1’s and 2’s are legendary in the SEARK. Stylez said he wants to get it in and wreck a show from the dj booth. he said he earned his title. I posed the question during our sit down. What has been the hinderance in their option of Arkansas music’s place on the nation scale? Everyone offered deep insightful reasons as to what has been the holdup. Little Rocks Suavio da Don sized it up best when he said, “We’ve spent too much time supporting other artist when they come to Arkansas to do a show, they come get paid, do their show, and then be out.” When you look most artist brought in from out of state are not accessible to indie artist for networking. Shows are setup to train the crowds to tolerate indie or local artist until the feature artist comes out. “In the past a lot of major artist have given older Arkansas a r t i s t credit for influencing their music.
Smooth tha Dude
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Pimp C, Devin the Dude, and other soulful hip-hop artist all give artist like AL GREEN, JOHNNY TAYLOR, JOHNNY CASH AND STAX RECORDS ARTIST credit for influencing their sound and style. Because these artists influenced artist in larger markets the sound has been mislabeled and now when Arkansas artist do something strong it gets labelled a copy of Texas, or Tennessee. Suavio no stranger to rap as he will tell you he was right in the mix when Major League was blazing trails with BALLIN OUT THE PARK back in the late 1990’s. But the road to rap relevance can be a tricky one. In 2013 no other artist in Central Arkansas grinds harder. A competition titled HOTTEST IN THE ROCK was ran all year, 3 different venues 3 different promoters. Each and everyone felt the presence of Da Don and in a 607 style Suavio would push his cd’s to every person in the club, wreck the mic, and get back to selling and distributing his music. Now he wasn’t the only grinder. THIRD DEGREE to was using a strategy to advance his movement. One of the most consistent forms of cross promoting music is mixtape placement, you don’t have a large budget, but you want to be heard worldwide? Use social media to connect with DJ’s and A&R and get your music into the hands of those who specialize in distributing music. Third used 2013 to network, build up a database and use his most natural asset (Conversation) a rapper’s ace-in-the-hole. His music was placed with over a dozen different mixtapes from Arkansas to Nebraska, to Cincinnati to Germany and Turkey.
Third Degree
One of all the Artist goals is to build up their homebase. You can get on social media in Arkansas any day of the week and somewhere someone says they are the representative for Arkansas. In the past many of Arkansas best artist have been very territorial. This has been a
mentality learned from the Razorbacks. TOP KEY said it best that it worked in sports that the team sitting in a small corner of the state has the exposure and coverage of the whole state but it hasn’t been working for rap artist. On the trend of a lot of new artist making noise in the industry, being able to write Scotty Ma’Valous Yung Grim lyrics and create music release provides a greater opportunity curve. Many C A U T I O N of our favorite artists started out doing beats was a and got a foot up by getting beats to recording spring time artist and leverage that skill to performance. buzz and TOP KEY has been a studio owner for years, a w a r d recording swark artist as well as TX and LA winner at artist. But expanding his recording options the SEARK is something he plans on pursuing in 2014. H I P - H O P His video for his regional hit “LOUISIANA A W A R D S . BOO” was a 2013 DA PLUG VIDEO SHOW N o w INSTANT CLASSIC. 2014 looks promising for located in Suavio da Don SW Arkansas artist. Not only does TOP KEY, Fayetteville, SCALE BREAKER and YUNG SLAB got irons A r k a n s a s in the fire, but also ROD D at SMART MOVES can look for GANG is prepping the talents of YUNG GRIMM. Scotty and Sometimes when you’re a time bomb waiting LIVE SOSA to blow, you have to wait your turn while the to give last bomb ROD-D’S NO DAYS OFF PART ONE, NWARK real finished burning out. Grimm has been featured hip-hop. on several SMG project and has shown flair like a MEEK MILL to a RICK ROSS. It adds It would value when you look the part you’re playing. have been Top Key YUNG GRIMM is ready. perfect event had any of the female artist had been Southeast Arkansas has always been able to able to show up. Rap is in no means a boy’s provide representation that would be an asset to only club. Playa Mook always represented on the state. DJ STYLEZ can cast a large shadow; BALL HAWG RECORDS cds and the streets Black Trump is still a sitting Boss at the table ask for NINA JAMES. 4 ladies have been and other play their part. Desha County is home working in 2013 and if committed to the craft make note that KARI FAUX, S.A.SOLO ACT, to Muddy Ent, NoLove and Young Rip, but it UNO DIOR and KYMYRA will all make some also has a new weapon in Scotty Ma’valous. major noise in 2014. Each poses a different Rapper, beat maker, producer, fashion designer, style but lyrical they all possess skills similar tattoo artist, MMA fighter. Scotty has multiple to NINE30. KYMYRA also offers a sexy sultry irons in the fire, but his rap talent is not to be singing voice. I look for all these ladies to get diminished by his resume. his 2013 mixtape their place at the table. coming soon www.dsmrmag.com
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I have to be honest that after a couple of hours of sharing ideas, sharing experiences and seeing the parallel constant thing all artist have faced in Arkansas was getting the support of the industry links and chains that are represented in state. I.E. radio and TV support. It’s no secret that getting radio play is a priority in the dreams and expectation of every artist. The business side of radio does not allow local officials to play whatever they want as much as they want. In the movies we see artist going up to the radio station giving the dj a cd or tape, the dj plays the song and fame and fortune are instant. lol. #ONLYINTHEMOVIES. The reality is in real life hits are made in the club and once the people come out of the club requesting music it doesn’t get out. One artist addressed club dj’s who only play what’s on the radio making it hard to get the buzz, because the game is being played in reverse. This part of the conversation created a vision that I shared with the artist that they all found a point in. As a artist watching the game grow in other markets, and seeing a consistent pattern where artist got record deals by having their music rocking the clubs and the majority of the artist who get signed credit djs for breaking their records. Unfortunately there hadn’t been a dj in Arkansas willing to take that chance...or is there? Back in 2005 88.3fm offered their listening audience multiple hours of radio play of local hip-hop. A big hit and growing popularity, incidents happened and by 2008 the show was no longer offered. 2013 brought back hip-hop to the VOICE OF THE PEOPLE. Now DDIRT and HOGG LEGG have the steering wheel to 100,000 watts of broadcast range and have brought along a new list of co-host to give the show some current vibe. THO’D STUDIOS ARTIST PETEY WEEDSTRAW provide commentary and DJ DON D engineering the tracks provides a very hard show to turn away from. WEEDSTRAW has a ear to the streets and this makes him authentic. Radio listeners love real and the topic of discussion could be any subject. When you blend that with ASTATES best mix of music, sky’s the limit and it gives even more to 12
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the vets who hold the show down. A-TEAM DJ DON D is a perfect example of the new wave. A listener of Little Rock rap since forever. His mixes in Club Elevations have already become barbershop talk. A quick look into the future already shows a drive unseen before now. From September thru the first of November 4 mix- tape hosted by DON D hit the streets. One of the most outspoken members of the is group represents a section of the industry that many artist know about but admit they don’t use it to its maximum potential. INTERNET. Introducing SMOOTH THA DUDE. No stranger to media SMOOTH host his own internet blog radio show. currently over 20,000 followers and listeners, National COAST 2 COAST DJ Affiliation, co-host of the REAL UNDERGROUND SHOW, and constant promoter and event host. Smooth started out as a teen variety show host on local tv. Now a savvy and ambitious business man looking to get indie entertainers as much media exposure as possible. Things look promising in the A. There are some other artist on the rise all over the state but when you name a All-American Team you can’t list all the honorable mentions. Imagine if the younger artist partnered together and found ways to be individual but bring enough to the table that working together and sharing to bring their core fan base the maximum entertainment experience. that called #WINNING
Down South Ablum Reviews (cont.)
HAVE A GOOD ONE RELOADED, STEPHAN ‘SJ’JAMES RTLD/4X4CREW. If there is such a thing SJ is a young OG. No stranger to the central Arkansas music scene as a member of the 4x4 CREW and as a master promoter of everything hip-hop in the market. HAVE A GOOD ONE RELOADED is SJ unplugged, or unleashed may be a good adjective as well. There are several group projects and features on others but any artist who has been a part of a group its good to do something alone sometimes. it gives a chance to finish out ideas cut short to fit, or songs that the group didn’t feel but you still want to do. SJ is a rhyme spitter. barz for days. heavily produed by GRIM MUZIK’S YK AND DR.KEV OF JOKER ENT you can cope all 15 tracks at:stephanjames. bandcamp.com I MADE IT SUAVIO DA DON-MACMUSIC Let the record show here. In 2013 central Arkansas had more independent hip-hop 14
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events than ever before. from Cornerstone to Elevations, Jax skating rink to the metroplex and anywhere in between one artist crushed more mic than anyone else. SUAVIO DA DON is DSMR 2013 GRINDAHOLIC AWARD WINNER. he won Hottest in the Rock at 3 different venues and when he wasn’t performing he was hand to hand selling product. I MADE IT is the end result of a process of becoming a independent rap artist. to pick thru the song selection would take up to much time, but in this album there is a lot of respect for the Arkansas artist who have blazed a trail to get it where it is now and a resounding announcement that if your looking to put your support behind someone SUAVIO is your guy. NEGRO CHILD OF NORMAN BATES KTOOMER. If your like me when i think of Norman Bates, it makes me think of the pyscologiclly and emotionally damaged character from the 70’s horror films. not the best mindset going into
listening to a hiphop cd. but there is a saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover”, thats true in this situation. KTOOMER is a throwback to a time before rappers where singers. they showed their lyrical talent by diversifying the delivery and showed artistic range. KTOOMER got alot of god songs on this cd. don’t sleep on it.
THEY GOING FOR 10 TRAPPER THE RAPPER NAKED EYE. In the 1990’s rap music often times followed the same structure as a good book. the music spoke on a subject both the glitz and glamor and the behind the scenes when the lights off, part of it too. that was early 90’s rap. now i’m not saying this is a old album. but
Down South Ablum Reviews (cont.)
the wisdom of a rap veteran can tell you a lot of the influences that have shaped them. THEY GOING FOR $10 is 10 track on all types of subjects with features from the likes of ROD-D, KWESTION, EKLIPSE, DDIRTE and more make it another good addition to Trappers catalog. itunes or amazon if you don’t already know.
UNITED STREETS OF ARKANSAS VOL 1 A-TEAM DJS If vol 1 is a indication of how things are going to be in Arkansas then hip-hop has something to look forward to. to make it simple, its a great collection of songs of ASTATE artist who had summer 2013 turned up. its on datpiff. comso save it for your mixtape collection. MYND MATTRE-UNOMUZIK COGNITION/NOVA SKY To make it simple and plan. most of the female artist in Arkansas don’t get far enough in a project to press it up or make it available. To get a 18 track project from a female
Arkansas indie mainstream. its on datpiff.com
artist is like raw meat to a wolf. having solid female artist gives the market more balanced. Uno offers A LOT on the album, but all first projects are like that. if she can keep up with that same energy and enthusiasm and better production. who knows…
WELCOME TO THE ROCK MIXTAPE VOL.1 WELCOMETOTHEROCK.COM Its easy to get lost on mixtapes. there may be one or two songs you like and the rest are just for fill.welcometotherock.com made a splashing intro into the game with the release of their first mixtape. dropping in late summer it includes the 607, Big Piphs and Rod-D songs. this album get a DSMR CLASSIC rating for introducing DIGGY, BIG VEGAS,SA SOLO ACT, LIL CHE, ESIDE SHAWTY to the
MAKE IT TAKE IT YUNG TWO, THO’D STUDIOS When you want to make a statement in this music industry you going to have to team up with those who are ahead of you. If you know you got a great collection of music you are a smart player to go and get a heavy weight to confirm. K2 or Yung2 knew he was working with something and went out enlisted MR.COOL RUNNINGS DJS himself BIGGA RANKIN. There are not many who can do for you what his name can. Yung 2 had a hit with features from Zed Zilla, Young Dolph and Joker B. this cd was a 2013 TOP5 project datpiff.com/ yung2. GET IT!
NERD FROM THE HOOD 607-EARFEAR coming soon www.dsmrmag.com
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Down South Ablum Reviews (cont.)
With almost 40 albums in the cosmos, 607 is proof you never stop having something meaningful to say when you’re doing out of talent and passion for it. the first song on the album sends a message, KILL CROOKED COPS, speaking on the social injustices of Little Rock. #7 PRAY and #16 LETS TALK ABOUT IT shows 607 ability to be intuned with his surroundings and make great music without maxxed out materialism. Bobby, JLR and Playa Mone round out the features. like we started out with almost 40 cds in the street. 607 albums sell just from a collectors standpoint. I would love to meet someone with all of them. email me a picture of them downsouthmusicreview@ gmail.com
HARDWORK NO PLAY DJ STYLEZ/Mr.LV-3MG Producer DJ YUNG STYLEZ teamed up with fellow seark artist MR. LV to bless the streets with Arkansas heat. As part of a dual release HARD WORK NO PLAY was released at the same time as CRAWFISH & CODEINE MIXTAPE and combined they 16
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would be the second most downloaded cd on datpiff.com in Arkansas in 2013 with over 4000 combined .this album also feature beat production from TRACKSLAMMERZ and LOUDER SOUNDS. Be on the lookout for this duo 2014 may produce even bigger things.
THE SMOOTH THA DUDE SHOW MIXTAPE VOL.2 SMOOTH THA DUDE There are some people that its just good to be on their good side. In central Arkansas that short list of people would include SMOOTH THA DUDE. internet Blog radio show host, guerilla marketer, real underground co-hosting, event host, photographer, videographer. Oh and producer of mixtapes dedicated to giving exposure to indie artist. XXX star PINKY lends a sound bit and there is plenty to choose from. PARENTAL ADVISORY COLLEGE STATION CAMRON 490 MUSIC GROUP One of the most slept on artist in central Arkansas has to be CSC.
PARENTAL ADVISORY was a well put together cd, listed as an EP but has 16 tracks, this album has a old school feel that makes it easy to ride to but also helps you hear the lyrics while your grooving.Something different is the addition of poetry by Kween gives it just that more appeal. Limited promotion and swimming in a small pond keep this album from making more noise. check it out on bandcamp.
THE RESURRECTION MUDDY ENT-MUDDY ENT. Hosted by A-TEAM DJ DDIRT-E Muddy Ent dropped a compilation album just in time for hoodnic. 18 tracks an guest features from CHAMP DA HILLBILLY, KEISHA B and JBRACEY made this a solid album in the spring of 13. KEV of Joker Ent lends his voice on
#9 and BMadd and Keisha B have the hottest song on the cd on FLOW 2 CEILING. Muddy Ent continues to keep their name in the hat that is called ASTATE music.
FLYRIGHT MIXTAPE VOL.2 FLYRIGHT EMPIRE Never underestimate the 870. travelling up and down its highways and byways it wouldn’t appear to a city eye that anything would happen there. but again make no mistake the 870 has got some stories to tell. SCALEBREAKER, a legend himself, has compiled a team of lyric and true story tellers. CMADD, BIG REESE and SCALEBREAKER provide the majority of the work with others in the camp adding to the sound as needed. SWARK is a surging part of the state and the music is of the best in ARKANSAS quality. HUSTLE UNIVERSITY TRE DIESEL-GO GET IT INC. Making that first step is the first thing one needs to do. case in point, artist always ask, “what I gotta do to get in the magazine?”, My response
Down South Ablum Reviews (cont.)
speaks on some GROWNMAN subject and really provides positive words for te streets Ms. Glamerous, Keys and Big Shae offer the bulk of the guest features but Vee like always carries the load. no radio hits, but this album is a undeground can’t miss.
is always get us a copy of your music. (dsmr magazine, po box 45272, lr,ar 72214) but thats just what fam did. Several staff members listened to the album and where impressed. the first impression was a 50 CENT sound, tough lyrics, sinister beats and a d-boy draw. this was one of the most slept on cds of 2013, lets keep an eye on what he does next.
“TENSION” THE DEBUT SOLO ALBUM OF 424 MAFIA/MUDDY
WINNERS CIRCLE MR.VEE-BLACK WIZARD ENT. Winners Circle dropped late summer with minimal promotion, but Mr.Vee is no stranger to the game. Little Rock knows Mr.Vee and the sound he brings. Teaming up with super producer BIG KEYS at KIM Studios, Vee has once again offered up a solid project. the beauty of evolution is seeing the growth in a artist. Mr.Vee
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