Slovo 33 (english language)

003 SUPERLOVE 007 Mix It 013 Necro 017 20 years ago 020 BusyBars 025 JAG "More of the Same" 027 Ice Grill 030 Reviews 039 Emmey Gramz 042 Tomawack Tour 045 DJ Supreme 048 Yana Insmut 054 Digital Illusion

Editor: Vitali "Nelson" Makhnach

Website: HTTP://SLOVOMAG.COM Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/slovomagazine E-mail: slovohiphop@gmail.com

SUPERLOVE, previously known as Catch Lungs, cannot be confused with other MCs. His style is truly original and constantly changing! For ten years SUPERLOVE has been releasing albums and do live shows all over the world. And every new track of this MC surprises. So, SUPERLOVE will not make you bored. This is the best praise for an artist!

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You've been rapping since the 2000s. In 2008, your first album "Food For The Famished" was released. What was then your style, and what influenced its formation?

When I first started rapping I was fueled by my passion for wordplay and lyricism as well as the American dream of the pursuit of my happiness. I was molded then by multiple genres of music because when I was growing up my family was well versed in multiple different kinds of music. Rap always had a special place in my heart, listening to and reciting words to "The Chronic" and "Illmatic" by the time I was 5 years old.

Since then, you have released several full-length releases. Each of them is interesting in its own way and differs from others. How do you come to a new sound when working on the every next release? How do each release and the reaction of your listeners affect the style change?

I am inspired and challenged by my peers although I am very self-motivated for each new project I bring to the table.

I study the game and take my time to create music I am proud of. I know the recipe for good music and I know the recipe calls for a lot of patience so I am always patient and I never like to rush myself when it comes to the process.

When I release music I make sure I am happy with what I put out, so no matter what the reaction from the fans is I know in my heart that I put everything I got into it creatively.

Your last album "Awake In A Dream" was released in 2011. What happened during those six years in your music?

For me there have been a lot of ups and downs with this music shit. I've found myself, lost myself and found myself and lost myself… Music has the capability to bring me up or bring me down but it's the passion burning in my heart and soul that keep me pushing and striving for more success.

Since then, a lot has changed in hip-hop. Sound of your tracks also changed. Your style sounds in the spirit of new trends in hip-hop. What are you most attracted to in modern hip-hop? And in which direction would you like to see its development?

I love progression and pushing boundaries. To me, art is all about trying new things and evolving your style to get to the next level in a unique way. I think modern hip-hop has influenced a lot of people to be themselves and I personally always strive to be myself in everything I do even when I dive into something brand new. I like the way rap music has grown and is continuing to grow, I hope to see more people pushing the limits and meshing more types of music together to create something we've never heard before!

Your last albums were released with nickname Catch Lungs. After you changed nickname to SUPERLOVE. Tell us why you changed the name? Is it meaning serious changes in your style or musical concept?

I changed my name when I was going through a lot personally. SUPERLOVE is a more free approach at combining more than one sound. Trying to do new things is

always something I've been inspired by as an artist so it was just time to try something new.

In addition to hip-hop, what kind of music influenced you? What new styles are you discovering now? And how, in your opinion, could they enrich hip-hop?

I've been influenced by all music from classical, to rock, to reggae, to R&B, to blues, to soul, to jazz, to heavy metal and the list goes on and on. My musical intake varies from day to day and always influences me in different ways when I'm creating. I might hear a Led Zeppelin song one day and be inspired by a Jimmy Page riff – and the next day be inspired by a Marvin Gaye hook. Most recently I've been joining singing along with heavy metal screaming and rapping… something I'm experimenting with that I think could push the game to another level.

Mixing of cultures is the path to development. What is the regional specificity of hip-hop in Colorado and how it changed under the influence of local traditional culture?

Colorado is mostly full of mountain towns with a few big cities here and there. There's a lot of old school hip hop heads in the mountains and in the cities, but there is also a lot of trap and elm influence in Colorado as well. It's the Midwest so there's really a lot of influence from all genres of hip hop a rap here. A lot of people have started moving here because of the marijuana industry growing so rapidly which has also brought a lot of diversity and new music and culture into the city.

The image of the representative of hip-hop culture has long since emerged from any standards. How was formed your taste shaped in dress and your image?

My whole life I've always strived to be myself and be original. My mom has been taking me to thrift shops since I was a baby and she always used to tell me I got my style from her. In a way I felt I had to live up to her standards and keep it groovy because anyone that knows my mom and her style knows she has always been next level with it and very original. I take things pretty serious when it comes to fashion and standing alone in my imagery. I don't really have one style that I stick to but better yet I just do whatever I want, whenever I want… and I think that is the true key to having your own style.

Tattoos are another culture that you are immersed in.

Tell us about it.

I got my first tattoo when I was 17 and it was before either of my parents really wanted me to get one. I actually came home and my mom cried when she saw I had gotten a tattoo without her consent. Every since that day I've been getting inked up more and more and I love it. It's an opportunity to express originality as well as pay homage to the lost loved ones or an old childhood cartoon you loved or whatever!

There are a lot of perspectives when it comes to tattoos because some tattoos are gang affiliated and come with some problems when you travel to certain areas or are seen by a rival gang.

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For me, getting tattooed is another way to express my originality and after the pain of the tattoo, you're left with a beautiful piece of art that is timeless and will stay with you forever.

An important part of modern music is video clips. Your videos are very different. There are personal scenes from the life of your family, but there are very unusual figurative, psychedelic. Tell us about the most interesting ideas of your videos?

I definitely love making videos and coming up with unique visuals to express myself and to take a journey on the watcher/listener's conscience and mind. Sometimes I'll have an idea when I trip or am high, and other times ideas will just pop into my mind when I'm listening to certain songs of mine and fuel the process for the creative juice that I put into the thought process behind my music videos. I'll have some videos coming soon that will top all of my previous videos and I can't wait for the world to see.

For any artist, no matter how he get popular on the Internet with the help of tracks and videos, live performances are needed. At the shows you sound very powerful! It's worth to hear and see. What is more important to you in a live show – your personal emotions that create this energy or experience that has allowed you to perfect the skills of live performances?

For me, the experience I've had traveling and performing is the most important. I've seen so many performers and I've had the honor of performing next to some of my favorite artists. There's been a lot of dedication that has gone into my performance and I take pride in my performance. Personal emotions are also very important but to me, everybody has personal emotion but not everybody has perfected their skills in their certain craft no matter what that might be. It's the perfection and hundreds of hours of dedication that really set you apart from everybody else.

Another side of MC experience is cooperation with colleagues, both when recording joint tracks, and at general concerts. You have performed with many famous MCs such as Guru, Public Enemy, Strong Arm Steady, Masta Ace, AZ, Cormega, Nature, Willie the Kid, La the Darkman, eLZhi, Roc Marciano, Guilty Simpson, eLZhi and some others. The list is impressive!

Tell us about how these concerts and communication with these people enriched your experience?

There is a lot of behind the scenes things that not a lot of people know about. Once you get into the game and are able to speak to other artists that you look up to on a personal basis, a lot of secrets about the industry start to come out.

There has been times when I've met people that I look up to and they seemed sad or unenthused with the industry and I slowly began to learn that it takes patience and a lot of hard work and dedication to make it anywhere in this industry. I thank everyone who has ever showed me that lesson, whether they knowingly or unknowingly showed me.

Komo Sarcani. Tell us about the impressions from these concerts and from European hip-hop?

Komo is one of my best friends in the world. We just understand each other and admire each other's hard work and grind. Europe was a dream come true and nothing short of amazing on all fronts. All the cities we travelled to were very supportive and I think that everybody really enjoyed themselves at the shows which was very refreshing and is so inspiring for me. Europe is definitely more hip-hop based but is also on the up and coming wave of new rap, especially with the younger generation (similar to how the US is right now). I love the true and genuine nature that Europe had to offer and I can't wait to go back!

Given your experimental sound, how do you create joint tracks with MCs, which are work with classical sound of hip-hop? How do you connect your styles on one track?

There is always a way to create a new sound that nobody has heard from every particular artist. For me, it's all about pushing boundaries while also making hot music that people enjoy listening to. When I work with any artist my goal is to make something that sounds new but is also hot and will give the fans what they want. I can work with anyone in any genre and create fire music as long as they're down to get a little experimental and work hard!

Recently you drove through Europe on a joint tour with

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Now you are working on a new album. Tell us about it?

My new project is called "HEARTPORN" and I will be dropping it as SUPERLOVE. I recently joined up with my friend ITSOKTOCRY and we started up a gang full of talented rapper's / singers which is called 27 Club. I'll have some features from my 27 Club friends accompanied by amazing beats and great production on the mixing and mastering side of things as well. I'll be mixing all kinds of genres on this one including metal, R&B, rap, and more‌ It's definitely a new wave for me and I am very happy with the outcome of the preparations so far.

I think he will surprise many, and again will differ from previous releases. What is the "key" in the sound of this album, which will create its original

style?

The key is really pushing the boundaries with musical selection as well as pushing myself to create something new. I'm always growing as a song writer and a lyricist so for me I am hoping that people can relate with my new style and also admire my growth as a song writer.

When do you plan to release it, and what videos and concert tours will support it?

As of now I'm planning on releasing it before winter hits. I have a few videos planned and I am also working on setting up some spot dates for touring around the world. I am hoping to go further than ever before with this release so I am planning on having a lot of things to keep new and old listeners involved and enthralled.

https://twitter.com/superlovesyou http://instagram.com/superlovesyou https://soundcloud.com/superlovesyou 006

Photos by Court Dunstan

When different styles meet, an ideal situation for the experiment arises. The result is often surprising with its originality and harmony! It is in this harmony is the secret of success of many artists who have combined in their music completely different styles.

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Electronic music in hip-hop becomes more and more. This offensive of club culture led to the emergence of a number of styles, in particular the popular trap music. But most crossover projects, at the intersection of electronics and hip-hop, pursue the goal of rocking the dance floor. That is, they are just hits for clubs. Their fans will always like it, but to surprise such music cannot often.

Mndsgn, in opposition to this trend, created an original fusion of electronic music and hip-hop, in which, despite the predominance of electronic rhythm and atmosphere, the harmony and melody of the g-funk and the rhythm of the hip-hop bass lines are unerringly guessed.

All three albums of Mndsgn are interesting and worthy of attention of music lovers, but the newest of them, "Body Wash" is a complete picture, which completed the experiments of this musician.

Although it was completed only at this stage. We can confidently say that Mndsgn will surprise us more than once. https://twitter.com/mndsgn https://mndsgn.bandcamp.com https://soundcloud.com/mndsgn https://www.facebook.com/MNDSGN 008

Rapcore is style long formed and gained with its own canons. But still the majority of rapcore crews simply copy rhythm and guitar parts from hardcore, and recitative from hip-hop. Ice-T's crew, Body Count, always differed from colleagues in the genre. Add another nuance that they were one of the first to combine heavy rock and hip-hop. What is the difference? The fact that Body Count participants perfectly understand both global musical cultures – rock and hip-hop. As a result, the steep recitative and theme of hip-hop lyrics are combined with various forms of rock music, from melodic ballads to punk rock, heavy metal and trash metal. http://bodycountband.com https://www.facebook.com/bodycountofficial

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Jazz, soul and funk are the traditional basis for hip-hop instrumentals. With the blues, the situation is different. Not so often it is sampled and even less likely to mix with hip-hop in equal proportions. "Good Morning Blues" is a joint album of the Canadian MC and the legendary bluesman from South Carolina. Both of these musicians are well known in their genres and many times shared a stage with the leaders of hip-hop and blues. But they represent completely different generations and different musical cultures. It is do their joint project more interesting, in which blues and hip-hop met and communicate during all time of the record. https://twitter.com/Cityreal http://www.cityrealmusic.com https://soundcloud.com/cityreal http://www.wesmackey.com https://www.facebook.com/wesmackey.sr https://cityreal.bandcamp.com/album/good-morning-blues

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Gangstagrass is a unique team from New York that has combined country music, bluegrass and hip-hop. That is, it is an alloy of completely different cultures, which many even oppose. But the Gangstagrass proved that there cannot be insurmountable boundaries between cultures. Country rap is not a new style. But, firstly, he often closes in himself, not touching the rest of the hip-hop scene, and secondly, the music of Gangstagrass is much more complex and diverse than sound of many representatives of this genre. Among the guests on their albums you can hear different representatives of hip-hop culture. http://gangstagrass.com https://www.facebook.com/gangstagrass

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Soul and hip-hop are closely related to the moment of the latter's appearance. And not only in a situation where soul is the base for the samples. There are a lot of teams that connected these genres in their music directly, playing hip-hop with live sound and inviting professional soul vocalists. However, the standards of this way of mixing styles did not stop Raury from going along and creating original music. In his music there was also a place for rock, folk and R&B. And with all the variety of components, hip-hop is not lost among them, and the music itself Raury sounds modern and fresh. No wonder, having released only one mixtape "Indigo Child", he immediately attracted the attention of listeners and music journalists, and with the album "All We Need" Raury got the title of famous musician, MC and singer. https://soundcloud.com/raury

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Necro does not need a presentation. Few people managed to create a whole genre with their debut album. And in this genre no one has surpassed the pioneer. On the realism of death rap and contemporary creativity Necro told our magazine.

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You are one of the most famous representatives of horrorcore rap. Someone accuses this style in copying horror films, far from reality. Other people, on the contrary, say that it allows you to get rid of negative emotions and throw out their aggression. You reckon himself to this genre? And what is for you the lyrics about human cruelty?

I don't do horrorcore, I do DEATH RAP – people that say brutality is far from reality are just ignorant, the streets and wars of this world are filled with horror, blood, guts and evil situations, but these ignorant people try to make it seem like anything horror or death related is a far distance from street reality rap – idiots I think.

Can be lyrics about death and evil like as outlet in difficult conditions of real life?

Yes it is an outlet to release aggression.

How were collaborated metal and rap music into your personal tastes in your youth?

I grew up in The Projects in Brooklyn and both genres of music would play in my surroundings so I was influenced by both There are fans of hip-hop, who jealous of its realism. They believe that MC should talk only about what happened with him in real life. And they negative relate to different "fantastic" stories in the

lyrics of rap artists. What is your view on the reality and fiction in music in general, and in hip-hop in particular?

Yeah a lot of fans have issues with everything, they like to complain online about anything they can think of, I have done more violent things in real life than any of these people, so I do not concern myself with what they think.

How do you think in the hip-hop there is place for some global philosophy, like the one that offer the UZN and the Temple of Hip Hop? They see it positive ideology, but the same horrorcore rap is not too positive. Is it possible accommodate live reality in some philosophical concept or hip-hop is strictly individual culture and it's reflection of the view of life of a particular MC? Anything I do is positive because I turned it into a business that inspires people all over the world, any piece of art that is released and effects people and makes them wanna talk about the subject has relevance.

When you came in hip-hop culture, rap and other elements of culture were closely linked. Were you interested in breaking or graffiti?

I was into rapping and producing beats mainly, this was my focus and where I excelled at.

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Kool G Rap has influenced your creativity and many years later you recorded a joint album with him. What is this cooperation for you?

It was a big honor for me, I put a lot of work into this album and spent 3 years of my life working on it every day to make it a classic banger for the fans.

Kool G Rap is gangsta rapper. What is, in your opinion, the point of intersection death rap and stories about the life of gangsters?

Death Rap has Gangsta Rap inside it, because I am rapping brutal street shit just in more detail than your average gangsta rapper would, touching on taboo subjects like White Slavery or Murder or cannibalism, anything interesting, the same street rap gets boring, we get it, the streets, but in the streets there is many different angles besides just drugs, guns and the hood, a lot of fucked up shit goes on in the world and this fits perfectly with the typical street shit to make it even more interesting when someone dope can articulate the lyrics.

Your debut album, "I need drugs" has galvanized the underground rap community for its brutal and straight lyrics about human pain. After the last fifteen years, how do you see the role of that album in your music?

It's real estate, makes me money every month and new fans discover this classic album constantly, it's an example of a proper debut release and how you would wanna have your debut release so it's relevant 18 years later

how it differs from your generation? What are new newcomers bring to the genre today? Or they just go by the beaten road, not experimenting and developing a style?

I don't hear anyone doing anything like me, it's more like a trap Three 6 Mafia sound, I don't pay attention to new rappers, too busy being a rapper myself with my own career Now you work with two albums "Death Rap 2" and "The Sexorcist 2". How do these sequels will be associated with the "Death Rap" and "The Sexorcist" and what has changed in your creative work in the years since its release?

Everything changes, but not my style, will still be insane and creative and awesome.

When will the release of those albums? What surprises related to their release, are you ready for your fans?

I do not have final dates yet but I am currently working on a lot of new music.

What collaborations are you plan in the future?

Perhaps among them will be collabos with Ill Bill and La Coka Nostra?

No, but I have an entire album called "KILLABORATIONS", and this will feature many dope rappers everyone loves.

A new generation of hardcore and horrorcore rap –

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Questions by Shooher Show и Nelson https://www.facebook.com/shooher.show.7 https://www.facebook.com/nelson.slovo

Psycho+Logical-Records necroproduct@yahoo.com http://www.necroproduct.com http://www.necrohiphop.com http://hyperurl.co/390gng http://hyperurl.co/3ys12e http://hyperurl.co/e1qn6z http://hyperurl.co/4porin http://smarturl.it/91hqiq Snapchat: necrohiphop https://twitter.com/necro_is_god https://instagram.com/necrorules https://soundcloud.com/necrohiphop https://www.facebook.com/necrohiphop https://open.spotify.com/artist/51vjIMmHWyVqDrkxD07Jh7 http://www.pandora.com/station/play/2218472084591393589

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Discography of hip-hop is rich with great albums, which for various reasons were not very well known or were forgotten. Often these are generally the only releases by their authors. We present to your attention a small selection of ten albums, singles and EP, which came out exactly twenty years ago, in 1997 year. But two decades later, they still delight the fans of classical hip-hop.

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Cru - Da Dirty 30 This team can hardly be called unknown. In New York, those years Rhythm Blunt Cru, as was the name of the band firstly, was notable. The team consisted of Yogi, Jeremy A. Graham, Chaddio and The Mighty Ha. Later, these representatives of the South Bronx shortened the name to Cru and released on the label Violator Records the only album "Da Dirty 30", which became the classics of New York rap.

Da Ruckus - Quiet as Kept Da Ruckus is the classic of the Detroit 90s. Hush and Uncle ILL collaborated with Eminem before he became known and even released a joint single with him. In the discography of Da Ruckus there are several singles and EP, as well as the only full-length album "Quiet as Kept", which they released on their own, on the same label Quiet as Kept. So today it is a kind of rarity. The group broke up in the early 2000s.

DFC - The Whole Worlds Rotten DFC (Da Funk Clan) is a rap duo from Flint, Michigan.

The structure included Alpha Breed (Al Breed) and Bobby T. Thompson (T Double E / T-Dub). The first of these is the cousin of the legendary MC Breed. With him, DFC released a joint album in 1991. The band did

music until the late 90's, releasing two solo and two collaborative albums, as well as several singles and EP. "The Whole Worlds Rotten" is their second solo album, released on Penalty Recordings. The sound of the album is an example of a leisurely g-funk from the west coast.

E.N.E.M.Y. Mindz - Every Negative Environment Manipulates Your Mind The magnificent album by the duet of Jay Dixon and MceeRaS. It was sustained in the traditions of the narrative hip-hop of the east coast. Juicy and emotional recitative here is combined with mid-tempo beats, which are based on dense background basses.

"Every Negative Environment Manipulates Your Mind" is the crew's only album, was released on Lyons Gate Entertainment.

Treez 4 Life - Slow Down Low Down To all fans of the South rap of 90's it is necessary to listen to this album! "Slow Down Low Down" is the first of two releases by Treez 4 Life. This team from Houston included AC, Ceno, Deno and Spoil. The soft relaxed sound combined with the rhythmic flow and contrast of female and male voices makes this release of Ace Up Records a pearl in any collection!

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Loose - Say What (12'') These are minimalistic beats in the stylistics of the 90's and a magnificent flow of MC. The voice is a bit like 2Pac. "Say What" is the only single of the crew. It was released by the label Lost Trybe Records. They also released the album "All Hell Breaks Loose", about which there is practically no information.

Shamus - Serving Life (EP) It is dirty sound of the 90s east coast hip-hop. In total, Shamus released four solo EPs and several releases as a member of Crime Wave. Serving Life is the third release in his solo discography. Traces of this MC were lost in the early 2000's, when the only full-length album by Crime Wave was released.

OuterSpace - Illegalienz (EP) Outerspace cannot be called a little-known team. On the independent scene of Philadelphia, they were one of the brightest artists. The duet of Planetary and Crypt the Warchild began to write rap in the early 90's, influenced by the New York bands Gangstarr and EPMD. For a decade, they collaborated with many well-known colleagues from the Philadelphia underground, in particular the Illadelphians and Jedi Mind Tricks, and

later became the artists of Superegular Recordings.

"Illegalienz EP" is the first release of the crew. The music of Outerspace was distinguished by a grim sound, and the lyrics includes complicated rhymes and nontrivial thoughts. Unfortunately, from the middle of the 2000s there was not a single release by the band.

Reggie Capers - Suspect (12'') This MC from Queens is little known. He left us three singles, the third of which was released only in 2015 on the label Dope Folks, known by his re-release of the hip-hop of the golden era. "Suspect" is the second single by Reggie Capers, which was released on vinyl by the SPR label in 1997. The circulation was only 300 copies. Dope Folks reissued the single in 2013.

The Henchmen - The Henchmen (EP) It is boom bap from the representatives of Wu Fam. This EP, the only release of The Henchmen, was created by Barrakjudah, Cilvaringz, DJ Sueside, Moongod Allah and Psiklops. The albym was produced by Moongod Allah. So you understand what sound this album has. Fans of Wu-Tang philosophy and the atmosphere of their early music are worth hearing this disc.

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BusyBars is a talented MC from Boston who works on original sound and does not forget about the content of his lyrics. He has already released several interesting EPs and mixes, and in the near future BusyBars discography should be supplemented with a couple of excellent releases.

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If we talk about the history of rap in Boston, then one of the most famous artists far beyond this city are Edo G., Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, 7L & Esoteric. Who else in independent hip-hop has achieved a legendary status in Boston?

Right now Boston's hip-hop scene is strong and thriving.

There are so many artists old and new reaching national recognition mainstream and underground. It's an exciting time and I'm happy to see what's happening right now. There are a lot to mention. Artists like as Termanology, Reks, Insight, Big Shug, and Guru from Gangstarr who a lot of people think was from New York. Other than Edo G, if you mention early Boston hip-hop, The Almighty RSO, later known as Made Men has to be mentioned. Made up of most popularly known, Ray Benzino aka Ray Dog, Tony Rhome, E Devious aka Twice Thou, DJ Deff Jeff, and Cool Gzus.

RSO was one of the first rap groups to make gangster rap predating N.W.A. Ray Benzino with then at the time young Harvard student named Dave Mays aka Go Go Dave brought us the first and only legendary hip-hop magazine "The Source" in 1988. Not a lot of people might see it this way but Bel Biv Divoe was hip-hop as fuck to me. Even though is not independent. Other than them and the other three together making up New Edition, RSO/Made Men was the only other Boston artists getting national recognition, MTV, radio and such. I could mention a lot more in city legends. I feel like there has been a lot of overlooked talent from Boston and Massachusetts.

When did you start rapping what artists were example for you?

I wrote my first rap in fifth or fourth grade. I didn't share it with anyone. I started publicly rapping around fourteen. I started seriously rapping and recording maybe seventeen, eighteen. Artists that were examples for me are many. A short list includes Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Rakim, The Pharcyde, Jay Z, KRS One, Nice & Smooth, EPMD, Redman, Busta Rhymes and more. Those are some of my hip-hop influences. I am influenced by all music though. I listen to a lot of different music and always have since a preteen.

Do you feel any specific of rap in your region and its differences from other centers of American rap music?

I'm from the east coast so you know I love east coast hiphop. Hip-hop was born in New York, and I find it sad that New York and east coast hip-hop doesn't have a presence in the mainstream anywhere close to what it used to be. Other than Jay Z. New York and east coast hip-hop in general to me tends to have more thoughtful content, and in most cases the perspective is coming from one I consider more of an alpha male type figure compared to today's artists. Partying is cool but no one is turning up twenty four seven. Def too much of the same content in circulation. Too much of anything keeps you in the same place. That's not good.

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Contemporary hip-hop takes on a new sound. What styles do you like in modern hip-hop?

There are many. I really love what a lot of electronic DJs/producers are doing. Jungle, DnB, Moombah, etc.

There are too many genres, and sub genres of genres in electronic music. So many DJs/producers make such great dance music and to me that music tends to be the best mixed.

Matching rapping over those styles of music took a while to be figured out I think. It's been the current pop music cross over for years now but I think a lot of artists are getting it right now. Even hip-hop veterans like Red Man forming the group 1000 Volts with DJ Jayceeoh are in on it. I like what Stookie Sound is doing. There's a ton more I listen to.

Tell us about your looking for own sound. Which directions of hip-hop formed the basis of your style, and with what would you like to experiment in the future?

My sound came from my favorite influences. I put out what I enjoy and feel others can as well. I enjoy rhythms. That's the foundation to most music. Even music without percussion has rhythm. All the instruments being played including vocals. I focus on rhythm in my cadences, tones, etc a lot. I try to include information and ideas I think are of true value in my music. My favorite music and hip-hop growing up was thought provoking in various ways.

Whether it was an introspective rhyme I was too young to understand or a sample I wanted to find the original song to that introduced me to whole new musical dimensions. I was given information or ideas of value. So I tend to do that with my music delivered in a fun or clever way.

Right now I'm experimenting with a lot of electronic music, more dance friendly like as Jungle/DnB, Moombah rhythms and more. This is new sounds. It's really fun. I'm excited to release what I'm working on soon. All produced by myself

and my homie NeonJack. He's a genius.

What difference in the perceive of hip-hop by young generation of MC in the US? How different are the themes that excite them and which they talk about in their tracks?

Aw man. There's a lot going on. You have your mainstream music that you are bombarded with everywhere. But that's not the only hip-hop in existence as we know. It's hard for me to say though. To me every generation is the same as far as the, "this is my time I'm the future now", type attitude. As usual you have your sex, drugs, and violence. I just see those themes in younger generations being amplified as time goes by. Weed and liquor excited my generation. Later generations added pills, syrups and shit. You would have to ask them brother.

Recently you released a mix "360 ° Bars The Mix Not Mixtape". Tell us about him.

"360°Bars The Mix Not Mixtape", is a mix of 360 measures of my lyrics from my most recent releases and features, with a little of my unreleased music. It's a nonstop one track of music blended together just like a DJ mix. Because that's what it is. All the verses are over remixed and edited music.

All done by myself and my homie NeonJack. He's a genius.

A lot of 90s hip-hop elements that everyone knows and loves flipped in a modern blend. A lot of comedy. It's a very fun mix. You can play it while you're working out, in the car, drawing, on the train or bus whatever. It's perfect for that.

Guests in the mix include, Reks, DJ Jayceeoh, Greg Nice and Smooth B of Nice & Smooth, Big Shug of the Gangstarr Foundation, NBS, MDot, and more. Available now for free download at my BusyBars page on Hear This.

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What other releases did you have before?

Right now the "5000!" EP is available, and the "What I'm About" EP is available. You can go to my BusyBars Bandcamp page for those two. Two quality project, beats and rhymes front to back. I'm about to release an album of previously unreleased music called "UnReleasedBars".

Look out for that.

Among your new releases is the video "Being Me". Tell us about this track and why did you decide to make a video exactly for it?

The song is about any and every individual who lives their life without letting anything in their way stop them. After listening to the song for a while after I recorded it I knew it was strong enough to be a single. I thought the beat alone was so epic sounding it needed a visual landscape before I recorded the song. It's a song I thought a lot of people could enjoy.

Street video were and still id a popular in hip-hop, but many of them are lost against the background of the story clips. What do you think attracts people to such videos? Would you like to shoot a story clip?

I like both. Street videos are great when the true energy of the song and artist are captured. They can be simple or you can flip it. Story clip videos are great because the viewer is watching the lyrics in action. I feel like that's always going

to hit the viewer harder with more memories of the song and gives the literal interpretation of the song in action. There's more to enjoy. Of course, artistically it would be more engaging and gives so many more optional dimensions to showcase the song. I think I would enjoy the whole process and am looking forward to making such videos.

Now all the music has gone to the Internet and interaction with listeners takes place in the network. Tell us about the situation in which there is a young hip-hop artist in the US. How difficult is it to get the attention of listeners and to ensure that this attention does not become "five seconds of glory", but was a real interest in the creativity of the artist?

That can be a complicated answer. I think it depends on what you're trying to do and who you are trying to reach. Because the way that music is able to be delivered to everyone, by anyone, and the way music is going to be released in the future, the sky is the limit for any young person. It can be difficult to get the attention of listeners because the amount of music in circulation, but the hardest part is to keep their attention because of the amount of music in circulation.

There is always something good out, or coming out, which is a good thing. After having great music people want to listen to, authenticity and finding out who likes your music so you can deliver it to them comes into play. Trial and error.

Try a lot of things.

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Contemporary hip-hop is too diverse to combine it into one style. Trap or drill music is too different from the classical east or west coast rap. They differ not only in sound, but in the whole subcultural aesthetics. Do you see a common ground between them, what makes these genres a unified culture? How do young hip-hop fans connect these styles in their own tastes? And what do they prefer?

The common ground I see in them is rapping about street content. That's it. Rapping is the unifying factor. To touch on the trap/drill artists, they seem to have forgotten the old style that's wack attitude. They seem to want to be their own thing. Like this is our hip-hop and that was their hip-hop.

Now only our hip-hop is hip-hop. You know? Some younger person shit really just saying, "mine is better than yours!"

Every generation does this. But this is not true for every fan of trap. I'm talking about popular artists. That stuff is scripted. There are young artist today and starting with more what some people might call traditional styles or incorporating that into their music. And they do connect the styles in their own tastes. With today's technology and known elements, there are plenty of young artist bridging the gaps while making their own way at the same time. It's an exciting time in music. Again you gotten ask them what

they prefer. What I see is a lot younger listeners listening to multiple types of music as well as Hip-hop. But you know if you turn on the radio or TV as a casual observer you're most likely going to think that trap is today's champion. Seems that way.

What are you working on now? Tell us about your creative plans for the near future.

Right now and as usual I'm recording new music. Right now I'm recording and writing more high energy music. Dance friendly party music. I have a lot of music that is probably more favored for older listeners and emcees. Right now it's about having a good time. I have a few more mixes in the future. "360° Bars The Mix Not Mixtape Vol 2", is about two thirds done and I'm getting ready to release another mix in the fall called "BusyBars Goes to Neptune". Which is another one track fifty-minute blend of my lyrics over remixes, edits, and blends of a collection of some of everyone's favorite Neptune's beats. I'm very excited to release that. I'm a huge fan of the Neptunes and almost everything those guys do independently. You guys are gonna love it. An album for next year for sure. I might drop a free EP randomly soon. I've been recording so much new music.

https://twitter.com/BusyBars https://soundcloud.com/busybars https://busybars2.bandcamp.com https://www.facebook.com/BusyBars https://www.facebook.com/emmanuel.lugira 024

Finnish MC JAG released his third full-length album "More of the Same".

These are twelve tracks, sustained in a single style and impregnated with the atmosphere of classical hip-hop. JAG does not hide that in hip-hop his main inspiration is boom bap. But, despite the canonicity and traditions of this sub-genre of hip-hop music, JAG presents its own understanding of hip-hop with classical sound.

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“More of the Same" pleases with a calm and melodic sound. It's really a beautiful hip-hop album, and you will enjoy it at home on a quiet evening. Its beats are filled with wonderful jazz samples. One of the most vivid and emotional tracks is "Runaway Pt. 2". He bewitches with its melody and memorable chorus performed by Anton. But there are energetic and even hardcore tracks on the album, which immediately arouse the listener's memories of the heavy basses and rhythms of the New York rap of the 90s. Among such, for example, is the track "Rush".

Unity of the album is based not only on general sound, but also on a thoughtful tracklist, in which smooth tracks alternate with more powerful and assertive tracks. And, of course, add very important ingredients - JAG's flow and lyrics, which complete the picture of this album.

Summarizing, we can confidently say that "More of the Same" will be a great gift for every hip-hop fan!

Tracklist: 01. Rockin Like a Playa 02. Turn It Up 03. L.O.V.E. 04. Baron Davis 05. Rush 06. Tales (feat. Kanasu Barz) 07. Runaway Pt. 2 (feat. Anton) 08. Reality Check (feat. Walt Miguel) 09. Gutter Rap 10. Losin My Mind 11. Ego Bruise 12. Big In Japan / Rafters www.facebook.com/jagofficial www.soundcloud.com/jag-music www.youtube.com/jbhproductionsfin http://www.jbh-productions.com https://www.instagram.com/emceejag https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/more-of-the-same/id1272545655 https://open.spotify.com/album/3fVlb44mvCuKYWUPW7izTO http://www.deezer.com/fi/album/46433212

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Ice Grill is not the first time talking about his music on the pages of our magazine. But every new album of this MC is really a bright occasion for the interview, because the quality of his music and lyrics is getting higher and higher! Now Ice Grill is preparing to release the second full-length album "#BlackChalk2", about which we talked with him.

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Tell us about the new album.

It took longer than planned but I feel that it is well worth the wait. I display's my growth in detail musically so those who enjoyed the first "Black Chalk" will surely love this one.

Working on this album, what goals did you set yourself in comparison with previous releases?

The same goal as every project to outdo my last but with this one I set my bar higher I recorded over 100 songs and picked the perfect 18 songs.

The level of your previous album was very high. And, probably, it was not easy to put the bar to make the album even better? Do you think that you need not only to strive to the highest quality of sound, but also to do something new, talk about what else has not said in the previous tracks?

I dug deeper and reached into my personal life more there are at least 5 tracks that deal with my losses from friends to jail. And I compete with myself every song to make the product my best I am super picky and particular so I will re write and record countless times to make it perfect.

How did the events that happened during the time of work on the album affect on it? Does the album contain topical tracks that were born in response to specific events in your life or the lives of your friends and relatives?

They played a huge part I endured a lot of pains and losses which reflects via certain songs. And by losing so many childhood friends it had to be expressed. I promise people will gain a deeper understanding of me as a person do to this

album I opened up my chest and bled on a lot of songs this music was my release I vented a lot.

What new topics did you touch on the album tracks that you did not talked before?

I have a song titled "Alive" feat. Arron Taylor where I walk the listeners thru 3 specific times in my life from 4 years old is being diagnosed with diabetes to my going to jail than to losing one of my best friends before coming back home from jail.

How would you determine the general mood of the album: serious, sad, funny, aggressive or otherwise peaceful?

I say that it's very 90s like with that east coast feel but it has a lot of gutter and grimy songs it has that feel that allows you to take a trip back in time via music. I would label it "Gutter Hip-Hop".

On this album there are more joint tracks than before.

Among the guests there are famous MCs. Tell us about the featurings and the history of their creation.

This album actually has less features but I made that decision early on to make my music the focal point. My producer DJ M-80 has done work with a lot of artists and he had music from the artist G-Dep he hit him and locked in a number for the collaboration and we knocked that out super early. Than M-80 reached out and locked in AZ which was a lifelong goal that fit perfectly. The track with legendary AZ was a highlight because he was always inspirational. The features that where picked had to fit like puzzle pieces perfectly or else they weren't an option.

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Your style in the album is recognized right away. The sound is dense, with elements of hardcore, but at the same time, almost all tracks are distinguished by melodic. Tell us about the musical component of the album. How this combination was created, who wrote the music, and how the tracks for the album were selected?

I think do to taking extra time to cultivate and produce this album it's easier to hear those distinguishing characteristics.

I had several producers who I hand-picked to get the perfect sound and do to that it all flowed cohesively the listeners will be able to vibe from start to end do to the track selections. As far as who wrote the music I write all my own music and the featured artists did their own as well. We sat thru all the tracks and made sure they felt organic and natural so I and DJ M80 went thru the songs with a fine tooth comb.

You released second full-length albums. This is a big job.

How do you determine the time of album release? Do you set yourself goals or follow inspiration – if ideas come, do you immediately embody them in the tracks?

I feel like artists have to follow their gut I know I can craft a

great project so instead of over saturating my name with countless releases I concentrate my energy and efforts of a solid album. I will be doing a lot more mix tape type of projects just to show what I am capable of. I aim for 3 or 4 months in advance so I try to release in certain times and in certain limits. I do a bit of both I set goals and I follow inspiration I find that u have to be a chemist to create the perfect synergy.

How does your popularity grow amongst listeners with each album? And what is not enough to reach the next level of popularity?

I appreciate each and every person who likes shares and or buys my music and to be honest it's one of the best feelings on the planet. I feel humbled when I'm told how my music has affected somehow weather personally or just casually it's something even I can't explain. I don't feel like I'm popular but I aim higher I've already done Tony Touch "Toca Tuesday" and I'm going to do "Sway in The Morning" on September 29th I will be on "Sway In The Morning" with Charley Chase, and Grandmaster Caz to speak about "#BlackChalk2" talk about being humbled something.

http://www.icegrilla.com http://www.blackchalkhiphop.com 029

MC Eiht - Which Way Iz West MC Eiht recorded a great album! All tracks are connected by common style and mood, but each of them sounds differently. There are a lot of famous guests on the album, and each of their verses complements the masterly style of the MC Eiht itself. And, of course, an important feature of the album is the participation of DJ Premier, which slightly shifted the emphasis towards to the east coast hip-hop. Thus, MC Eiht sounded in a new way, keeping the foundation with the west coast rap and adding to it the sound of the east coast. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/which-way-izwest/id1239598942 Z-Ro - No Love Boulevard Z-Ro said that "No Love Boulevard" is his last album. It's very sad, because Z-Ro is an original MC and a great vocalist. Not without reason his called Nate Dogg of the south. This album is also a wonderful melodic hip-hop, with cool rhythms and a relaxed atmosphere. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/no-loveboulevard/id1244313092 Jay-Z - 4:44 The opinions of listeners about the new album of Jay-Z differ radically from rapture to indignation. We will join the first group. The album is very good musically and lyrically.

The track "The Story Of O.J." is great song, which conveyed the whole essence of what many African Americans feel today. Like any vital track, he could not remain unnoticed.

But apart from that, the album is full of interesting tracks, successful featurings and mastery of Jay-Z himself. And the sound of the album is another important advantage. It's modern hip-hop, not lost touch with the roots. Jay-Z remains itself. He is able to create albums with an original concept, which are understandable to people of different ages and different interests, but at the same time these albums remain part of hip-hop.

Add here also a series of very different and interesting video clips on the tracks of the album. This "series" deserves a separate discussion and a special assessment. Jay-Z showed that even commercially successful hip-hop can interact with avant-garde art, understandable to a few. This do the "4:44" is even more valuable. https://listen.tidal.com/album/75413011 Chris Rivers - Delorean Chris's second album only confirmed that this MC will in hip-hop for a long time. His name will be on the lips of millions of fans of the good old rap, with a bright flow and no less powerful beats. Hip-hop fans are usually compared children of famous MCs with their parents, although these MCs probably do not always like it. So Chris Rivers not only did not hit the dirt in the face in compare of his legendary father Big Pun, but also created his own distinctive style. So in the shadow of his father he certainly will not remain. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/delorean/id1251204391

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Trae Tha Truth - Tha Truth, Pt. 3 This is one of the most anticipated albums of the year. "Tha Truth, pt. 2" was powerful and original. And this added faith to the fact that this release will not be worse. The album, of course, is good. If you like the style of Trae Tha Truth, then here you will find everything that is accustomed to hearing from this MC earlier. Perhaps by the number of hit beats, this album is inferior to its predecessor, but it is worthy of close attention to the fans of modern hiphop.

develop and rise only higher. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/12/id1260210518 Pastor Troy - O.G.P.T. (The Collector's Album) Pastor Troy released a very powerful album! It's a charge of crazy energy. If you love crunk or just want to decorate your playlist with tracks with rocking explosive rhythms, this album is just for you. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ogpt/id1245899839

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tha-truth-pt3/id1238926411 Dday One - Journal Extended Dday One is distinguished among the other beatmakers by the melodic and special atmosphere that he creates in his music. It's always a little melancholy atmosphere, thanks to which you can immerse yourself in reflections. The music of Dday One awakens memories, emotions and images in your memory. It is this influence that this wonderful album has. http://music.ddayone.com/album/journal-extended A$AP Twelvyy - 12 The debut album of A$AP Mob participant will please all admirers of a new wave of rap of east coast. The album is cool by the music and the flow. A$AP Twelvyy stayed for himself the highest bar for the future. And we hope he will

Sean Price - Imperius Rex Fans miss the music of Sean Price. And, of course, they were waiting for his new album. The album, which became a fresh breath of air of the golden era. Everything is cool here, the lyrics, music and, of course, the flow of the Sean Price. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/imperiusrex/id1253623221 Point Blank - Being A Real N*** Is A Nine 2 Five 24/7/365 This is an excellent album in the traditions of west coast rap. Juicy bass parts and mid tempo rhythm. This is the west coast without autotune and dance club hits. https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1271419890

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Vic Mensa - The Autobiography Vic Mensa has already become one of the most talked about young MC. The reason for this becomes clear when you listen to the album "The Autobiography". In our time it is difficult to create a truly original style, because hip-hop is very diverse. But Vic Mensa really sounds fresh, combining in his music completely different elements of hip-hop. Add interesting lyrics and you'll get an album that should be in the hip-hop music collection of 2017.

Public Enemy - Nothing Is Quick In The Desert The message of Public Enemy remains relevant, as it was twenty years ago. And this is the best incentive for the group not to stop. But Chuck D and the company are not fixated on the sound of their old albums. They all the time develop, adding to their classic sound elements of a new wave of hiphop. "Nothing Is Quick In The Desert" demonstrates a new step in the work of Public Enemy, and will be interesting for the fans of this team.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/theautobiography/id1256952577

https://publicenemy.bandcamp.com/album/nothing-isquick-in-the-desert

Aesop Rock - Bushwick (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Aesop Rock never complied with the standards and did not chase trends. This soundtrack just confirms this opinion once again. It is atmospheric music, ideal for a movie, but with great influence of hip-hop. This is very interesting release!

Illa J - Home If you are tired of aggressive heavy rap, from dance electronic hits for clubs and from promotional videos with expensive cars and gold, then this album is especially for you. Illa J relentlessly reminds us that hip-hop is a culture deeper in its emotions than aggression, entertainment or demonstration of status. This is the culture of the narrative of life. "Home" is about this and speaks to beautiful melodious beats, impregnated with the atmosphere of old jazz and soul.

https://itunes.apple.com/by/album/bushwick-originalmotion-picture-soundtrack/id1261471744

https://jakartarecords-label.bandcamp.com/album/home

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Thi'sl - Levitate Thi'sl is one of the coolest MCs of the south. In his voice absent artificial effects and he doesn't record one-day tracks. It is a powerful recitative that cannot be confused with other MCs styles, plus juicy beats that sound modern and fresh!

Hollow Tip - Foreign Money This is another release from the west in the tradition of Californian hip-hop. I am glad that such veterans as Hollow Tip did not chase the young generation and did not copy the stylistics of their music, but kept their own style, only adding a little modern sound to it.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/levitate/id1261991576

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/foreignmoney/id1255993181

Tyler, The Creator - Scum Fuck Flower Boy Tyler, The Creator, who has big teenage fanbase, came back with a new full-length album. This CD sounds more mature and serious, although the lyrics are still full of humor. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/flowerboy/id1254572564 Kokane - It's Kokane Not Lemonhead It is great west coast g-funk hip-hop. One of several albums of this summer that causes nostalgic feelings about the old hip-hop of the west coast. The album captivates the relaxed and melodic g-funk and mastery of MC Kokane. The disc is recommended to all fans of the genre! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/its-kokane-notlemonhead/id1248393562

Rob Markman - Write to Dream The journalist of the Genius portal writes about rap for many years. But now he decided to write a rap. And he managed to do it one hundred percent! "Write to Dream" is an album with beautiful lyrics, bright work with rhymes, and classical sound. It is hip-hop with a capital letter! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/write-todream/id1258363075 Andy Mineo & Wordsplayed - Magic & Bird This duo of two popular MCs showed that together they can make an even better album than solo. "Magic & Bird" is the pattern of modern hip-hop that you will show to the younger generation as an example to follow! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/andy-mineo-andwordsplayed-present-magic-bird/id1253198343

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Dizzy Wright - The Golden Age 2 This is the second album of the series from Dizzy Wright. Maybe he is not quite in the style of the golden era of hip-hop, or rather not at all in that style, but one thing is true - Dizzy Wright honors traditions of hiphop and follows them in his music. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-golden-age2/id1257603112 Fashawn - Manna Fashawn released a very good album. The sound of this rapper has acquired new nuances, and the album itself sounds more specifics and originally than the previous Fashawn's release. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/manna/id1266094 766 Grynch - On a Good One This is a small EP, in which each track demonstrates gfunk hip-hop in all its glory!

album should sound, which immerses the listener in its atmosphere. https://soundcloud.com/teamsesh/sets/bonesnoredeemingqualities Nitty Scott - Creature!

This beautiful MC continues to experiment. In her music there are more and more elements of different genres of music, and the themes of the lyrics is consistently pleased with the variety. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/creature/id124479 3697 Stalley - New Wave Stalley's album will not overwhelm you with its power, but it will not make you bored. It sounds like an album of a man who knows what he wants and what he want to say. And for this he does not need to resort to any tricks to attract the attention of the listener. You do not need to look for the most original moves in sound. It's enough just to make a good rap that Stalley does.

https://grynch.bandcamp.com/album/on-a-good-one Bones - NoRedeemingQualities This is the next release of this original representative of the cloud rap. "NoRedeemingQualities" sounds like an

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/newwave/id1251640997

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Action Bronson - Blue Chips 7000 Interest in the album was heated by several clips in the spirit of the old action movies. Humor and talented play with mass culture images singled out these clips against the background of many modern rap videos.

The album saturated with the spirit of music of 70s and classic hip-hop of 90s. But, of course, all this went through the prism of the style and talent Action Bronson. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blue-chips7000/id1262588480 Ea$y Money - Flyer Lansky This is a powerful album by Ea$y Money. On the album a lot of bright tracks and Ea$y Money's flow really decorates each of them, combining everything

into a one-piece album. If you are not yet very familiar with the creativity of this MC, Flyer Lansky is the perfect album to meet him. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/flyerlansky/id1265234304 Wiki - No Mountains in Manhattan After a joint album with Your Old Droog, Wiki released a solo release. And he showed that he is really cool MC with his own sound. A lot of famous and very different in its style of guests made the album even more interesting. In general, Every hip-hop fan must listen "No Mountains in Manhattan". https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/no-mountains-inmanhattan/id1271126845

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Over the summer, many bright albums with classical sound from jazz-hop to hardcore were released. We present a list of the best of them, which simply cannot be missed by fans of this trend in the musical culture of hip-hop.

John Robinson & AG - Penelope https://www.fatbeats.com/products/ag-john-robinson-penelope-ep Malik Turner - Invisible Freedom https://malikturner.bandcamp.com/album/invisible-freedom Mr. Lif & Akrobatik - Resolution https://mrlifmmg.bandcamp.com/album/resolution Blacastan & Stu Bangas - The Uncanny Adventures Of Watson & Holmes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-uncanny-adventures-of-watson-holmes/id1230271712 Billy Woods & Blockhead - Known Unknowns https://billywoods.bandcamp.com/album/known-unknowns Sadat X & Diamond D - The Sum of a Man https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-sum-of-a-man/id1240585962 Justo & Showbiz - Black Ops https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/black-ops/id1250173582 Madchild & Evidence - The Darkest Hour https://itunes.apple.com/ru/album/the-darkest-hour/id1223850095 036

Tanya Morgan - YGWY$4 https://tanyamorgan.bandcamp.com/album/ygwy-4 Automate & AnonAmis - Global Invasion https://automate.bandcamp.com/album/global-invasion Smoovth & Giallo Point - Medellin https://lowtechrecords.bandcamp.com/album/smoovth-giallo-point-medellin Marquee & Ninjustice - Femme Fatale https://shinigamierecords.bandcamp.com/album/femme-fatale Uncommon Nasa - Written at Night https://manbitesdogrecs.bandcamp.com/album/written-at-night Chillhop Records - Chillhop Raw Cuts 2 https://chillhop.bandcamp.com/album/chillhop-raw-cuts-2 Mr. Käfer - Travelin https://postpartum.bandcamp.com/album/travelin 037

Flamingosis - A Groovy Thing https://flamingosis1.bandcamp.com/album/a-groovy-thing Def3 & Late Night Radio - Small World https://def3-urbnet.bandcamp.com/album/small-world-produced-by-late-night-radio Thelonious Coltrane - Guide RA (LP) https://dertheo.bandcamp.com/album/guide-ra-lp Declaime - Young Spirit https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/young-spirit/id1250614667 Anti-Lilly & Phoniks - It's Nice Outside https://antilillyandphoniks.bandcamp.com/album/its-nice-outside Apollo Brown & Planet Asia - Anchovies https://apollobrown360.bandcamp.com/album/anchovies 038

The music of Emmey Gramz will surprise you with its diversity. In his new album "In My Lane" you will find many styles of hip-hop and not only. At the same time, the Emmey Gramz style is easily recognized in each his track. On the impact on him of different music and stories from life, embodied in the tracks, Emmey told our magazine.

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Recently you released the album "In My Lane". It is very diverse in its sound, but it sounds quite holistic. Tell us about the idea of the album and its musical diversity.

I'm free to explore every avenue I want in the industry. Do what I want to, go outside the box. Free of chains, parameters, boundaries, exploring my musical ability.

Such diversity in sounding indicates a variety in the tastes of the artist. What kind of music do you listen to, and how does it affect your creative ideas?

I listen to every kind of music... gospel, rock and roll, classical. The music gives me creativity to incorporate what I hear into my own sound. I don't just hear the words and music I listen to the instruments, the themes, the note changes.

Tell us about the topic of your tracks.

My tracks represent my life. For example, I wrote "Unexpected" when I was homeless. "Stupid Girl" is about a girl I know who gives her body for next to nothing. "Go to Church" is my mom's message as a Pastor to me as a young man to change how I'm living, as a young man in the street there is salvation for me by giving it to God. Your videos show city streets and people on them. Tell us about the support by people who live around you and

filmed in your videos.

A lot of people love what I do, a super hero of sorts. I offer them promise. Rags to riches story.

You do sports and sometimes you shoot video from your own workouts. Tell us about the role of sport in your life?

I am a green belt soon to be brown belt in Kyokushin Karate.

It teaches me honor, discipline, self respect and self defense.

Is it possible to say that around a strong sports body in the United States created a kind of cult and people are eager to play sports?

Yes a sport is very important to our culture especially young kids from the ghetto. They grow up idolizing such people as Jordan, LeBron, Steph Curry and Shaq. I want to transfer that desire to my music. That's why I show my dedication to my sports craft.

Radio stations played a huge role in the spread of many styles of music. How is their significance changing in the USA today, with the access of the Internet to the first place?

It's changing because it came from underground boom bap to the mumble mouth trash rap we have today. Underground slowly coming back thanks to the Internet which is a gift and a curse.

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Do radio stations help the promotion of young artists today?

No. Thank God for the viral factor.

Since the release of the album a few months have passed. How do listeners react to it? What was unexpected for you in their reaction?

How diverse and fresh it is. It's amazing.

Good management is always important for an artist. Tell us about the role of your manager in your music? Can an artist do all this work himself or will

it negatively affect his creativity?

No artist can do it on their own. You need a team, top notch producers, dedicated radio DJs, a strong tour manager, and wonderful magazines such as yourself to spread the truth.

What global impact of hip-hop on your life? What would not have been in your life without hip-hop culture?

"Swag, clothes, ling" opportunity as well as a superhero type vibe.

http://amzn.to/2vhpxx8 https://www.facebook.com/emmey.gramz https://soundcloud.com/emmeygramz/sets https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1252760976 041

We wrote about artists of French label Tomawack. This summer label organized European tour for Komo Sarcani and Superlove.

Tomawack's manager Soom Aya told us about organization of independent tour, problems and possibilities on this way.

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Tell us about the tour. In what cities were there concerts?

So, the tour was on a period of 10 days with some days off. It was mostly in Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Lithuania. We played in Copenhagen, Oslo, Malmรถ, Gothenburg, Helsinki and Vilnius. This tour was special for us because we discovered new countries and cities, and we made this tour with our homie Superlove, the MC from Denver. I already knew with Komo Copenhagen and Helsinki, but all the rest was new and fresh for us, and for Superlove. I was his first European tour! So it was very exciting for us.

What are your impressions of this tour?

My impressions of this tour is that in all cities we played, we made nice meetings, connect with real people, with an amazing hip-hop spirit. Nordic countries are awesome! A lot of heart, love, friendship, solidarity and generosity. We shared music, meals and fun! The Tomawack family grow up, we also made some music collaborations. We had a very good feeling generally speaking! And the best for me is when I saw you for real in Lithuania!

How easy is it to interact with clubs representatives and organize concerts for independent artists?

It not easy, it's a lot of time and of research on social media and internet. The Komo's project "Amour Noir" ("Black Love") tells a story, the beats and feat are amazing, the press release and the cover help us a lot. I think all that is part of the project.

In general, the organization of the tour is a complex process? What are the main difficulties?

Yeah it's a complex process because I have to have in mind the booking and the logistic organization between each cities and countries. I had also to analyze the best way to get to each place. I think one of the main difficulties is to succeed to coordinate the sequence of dates with the geographic location of cities, the second is that the logistic part can't be done before all the tour is booked, so the answer from venue's owner is capital for a good anticipation of all this elements. The third one is optimize on-site time by looking after specialized shops, so for all that a lot of time, patience and reactivity are necessary to make the good choices.

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Is it really to cover the financial costs of traveling to the tour at the expense of its concerts?

This tour was oriented as a promotional tour for the new album "Amour Noir" and the new project of Superlove. So the goal was to equilibrate the financial cost of travels and the fees covered that, with some benefits sometimes. For remember we are independent and actually we have no financial help but I'm working on. Hopefully the album gets a good success over there and we sell out all our vinyls, and we had to send additional copies from France at the middle of the tour!

Now everyone talks about the unlimited possibilities of creating fanbase on the Internet. But in reality, most artists simply get lost in the mass of their colleagues. But those who build fanbase on the basis of personal acquaintances and concerts in small clubs of different cities, gradually develop and become known in different regions. Do you agree that this is the main way, and the Internet will not replace it?

I think that both ways are working. I mean, internet is a fabulous tool we can develop a fanbase and get more visibility because now people are mostly looking the number of fans, the likes, the view of an artist, and the fact is sometimes they don't listen the music of an artist.

That's why it's better to use internet. But I think that the fanbase built on an own work in small clubs in different cities is the best for me, because I meet people with who I talk with, and the feeling of the shows is very cool, and in my opinion this type of fanbase is stronger and durable, and when we come back, people are here.

So that you advise artists who also want to organize a tour themselves?

I don't have the pretension to know everything, it's not a long time I do that, but what I can say is that each independent artist unknown must have in mind that it's very difficult for an to make a lot of money in a tour, the merch make the difference! And I think things must be done step by step, and to have in mind that a tour is mostly to make promotion and to make people discovering your work.

What are your future plans for concerts and tours?

Are you planning to repeat the tour in Europe or do you wants to travel to other regions of the planet?

For the future plans, I'm actually working on a Japan Tour for December 2017, and I will make a clip there for a track in featuring with a Japanese MC Strize.

Big shoot to our Nordic and Baltic family!

https://tomawacklabel.bandcamp.com https://www.facebook.com/tomawacklabel https://www.facebook.com/KomoSarcani https://soundcloud.com/superlovesyou

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DJ Supreme is a veteran of New York hip-hop and vinyl collector.

He is an adherent of the classical sound of hip-hop, and actively supports young artists in this genre. His mixtapes with the tracks of independent artists will be a real godsend for boom bap fans.

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Tell us about yourself and your music creativity.

I'm DJ Supreme The Silent Assassin aka The Harlem Hittman and I've been doing 35+ years I come up through the golden era of hip-hop in Harlem, New York.

You have a large collection of vinyl. Tell us about her.

When did you start to collect your vinyl plates and what styles of music are you interested in?

I started collecting wax around 30 years ago. Being a DJ I enjoy all genres of music, but my favorites are classic hip hop, R&B and boom bap.

Digging brings pleasure to any fan of vinyl. What are the most amazing finds you remember?

I remembered when I accepted a friend request on Facebook from a guy who was selling vinyl. This was before I joined the Serato family. And he lived like 95 miles away, but he wanted like 800 dollars for his collection. So I jumped in my tahoe drove there and he had a single wide trailer with 3 rooms of vinyl full to the max. So since I couldn't get all of them he said whatever I can load up he will give me a price. I went and loaded my truck up with whatever I could grab well I spent 250 for front and back of my truck. Truck was so loaded that when I made a turn the truck would sway. I got home unloaded the truck and went to organize my purchase with what I have and came across a Michael Jackson (R.I.P.) "Thriller" album and the Beatles "Anthology" album. Both

were never opened. I called the seller to inform him of my finding and he was like keep them I don't want them.

Tell us about your favorite plates in your collection.

My favorite wax are the ones that are autographed by the artist.

During your work as a DJ, the special equipment has changed a lot. Are you use technological innovations?

Which of them do you think are really useful for djing?

The technology involving DJing is very useful to the Dj because for one it saved our backs from lifting and carrying 10-12 crates of records the Dice is very useful for marking cue points. The Dicers gave the DJ the advantage to get to that break or spot in the record faster. The Dvs expands the DJ capabilities, because it advances his ability to make remixes while djing a party.

With the advent of a lot of young people playing music from the laptop and mixing by the automatic functions of various programs, old DJs talked a lot about the degradation of the entire club culture. Did it really affect the culture or similar false DJs are just a mass that does not change essence of culture?

It's not only the young DJs some older DJs are taking "pay cuts" and doing cut throat jobs that is discrediting the DJ aspect of the hip-hop culture.

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Tell us about your mixtapes. What is your attitude to the mixtape culture and this format of music distribution?

My mixtapes are something that I do to assist the artist. I have done mixtapes with Freddie Foxxx aka Bumpy Knuckles, Funk Master Wiz, etc. But my mixtape series titled "Tru Emcees" is just that true emcees displaying their lyrical talent to the masses. I have done a few mixtapes, but only for boom bap artist.

If we talk about the classics of hip-hop and about contemporary hip-hop, the approach to selecting tracks and their combination in a specific playlist and mixtape is differ? Does it depend on the style of the music?

The style of music determines what you are going to play and then what type of crowd you are trying to reach. For example if I'm trying to reach the 40+ crowd I would play Sugarhill Records and Enjoy Records on the mixtapes.

Mixtape remains one of the best presentation formats for rare records of old hip-hop. Do you create such mixtapes? And which of those that were released by

other DJs, would you highlight?

As for doing classic hip-hop mixtapes no I don't I do a mixtape series titled "Tru Emcees" that caters to the underground unheard boom bap artist they are more hungry and the lyrics ah man they be going in. As for other DJs I Like DJ Cory Bee (South Carolina) and DJ Thorne. He does "The Block House" mixtape. Jorun Bombay has a mixshow called "Funkbox Reload" that reminds me of Red Alert / Marley Marl mixes from back in the day.

What projects are you currently working on? What releases are you planning this year?

My current projects are "Tru Emcees" vol. 6 (I do this mixtape 3 times a year), DA Assyn8torz which is where I support and promote emcees that I feel have a strong work ethic and can spit nice lyrics. But they are underground artists that I promote for free and then there is my mixshow "The Fleet Flavers Mixshow" which is aired through the internet stations, to view the latest on my material log in to www.djpreme.com.

www.djpreme.com contact # 706-951-5440 https://twitter.com/fleetdjsupreme https://twitter.com/DJPREME_COM https://instagram.com/Fleetdjsupreme https://www.facebook.com/djsupreme2u https://www.facebook.com/Dj-Premecom https://www.facebook.com/The-Fleet-Flavers-Mixshow 047

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Art reflects its author. The ideas and emotions of every creative person make his art valuable and alive. Maybe it sound banal, but the photographer Yana Insmut considers honesty and naturalness to be the main thing in her photos. Yana says: "Many photographers believe that thanks to the photo projects in the "luxary style" they give women the opportunity to feel like queens. But I do not like this approach, because these women return to their reality, and the "queen" remains only in the photo. I strive to find beauty in the real world, to allow the model to feel beautiful not because she has such a hair and makeup today, but because she is beautiful every day in her actions, movements, and a smile. I remove the heels from the models, so that they move in a comfortable rhythm for them.

The one who takes himself is photogenic."

Yana shoots completely different people and themes of her photo sessions are also very diverse. One of the key theme is music. The love of music and the love of photo merged in the desire of Yana to express the personality of the musicians in the photo, to give people the feel of their music and the atmosphere that she creates, so that before the listening of the tracks a certain mood was create. This view of the photo of musicians contrasts with the "faces on a white ground" that are common in many interviews and do not say anything about the artists themselves.

We can write a lot about the photos of Yana Insmut, but her photosets better will told about the photographer. We are sure that they will give you a lot of kind emotions, and maybe inspire your own creativity.

https://vk.com/yanainsmutphoto https://www.instagram.com/yanainsmut 049

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The world is boundless. This old illusion took on a new incarnation in the Internet era. Enthusiasm has engulfed millions of people, when they began exchange music across the ocean without the intermediation of labels, shops and transport companies. And all fell prostrate before the new God – free Internet, which will save them from the monopoly of corporations, and, therefore, will free the artist.

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But most importantly – this is the chance, which before only the elite can use. It is opportunity to get your moment of glory. Earlier only a label can give you this chance, but it will not happen anymore – the Internet has become a way to bring your creativity to millions of people around the world, without contracts and money. Millions of voices, from teenagers to venerable experts in the field of information technology began to repeat this mantra.

Where is this freedom? Why did the world remain the same? And how beautiful theories were destroyed by practical and logical reality? The Internet is only a reflection of the real world. And in it all the same laws work. People want to get their piece of entertainment as easily and quickly as possible. And this creates opportunities for large players. While millions of talented musicians are lost in the mass of their colleagues, artists of labels receive the necessary advertising. And now the little-known MC yesterday becomes a "star" with millions of listeners today. The rest look at these thousands of likes and chase after them, like a mirage in the desert. But this is a very tough business, in which get success cannot even one percent, but a very small fraction of a percent of all thirsty for this notorious success.

For most, in reality, is only a desert. It's trite, but nothing is hidden behind the "likes". It is neither real communication with living people, nor their real interest in your music, pictures, books or magazines.

Nothing. It is just one click on the gadget screen. And

that's all. It does not even stay in memory, because the flow of tracks, photos and video is huge. And in this stream, your track, week of your work, is just a drop.

And if the years went by in pursuit of the "likes" in Internet, hoping to get into the assembly of the chosen ones, and you changed your ideas and thoughts for the sake of the trends, then there will be only disappointment from the lost time.

It's another matter when you write because you cannot keep silent about it. It's difficult, because it's a cry into the void. But man goes mad in the void. But, not having dissolved in the mass, you and your work remain true to yourself. So it's valuable. Like those few listeners, readers, viewers who will listen the album in full, will read the book and think about its content. Your creativity prompted them to think or awaken emotions in them – this is your reward, which is more important than likes and browsing posts on the Internet.

And finally - it is live communication. That's for what you share your creativity. Yes, you do not get into a rank of legends and "stars." But you will become someone who talks about important things for real people. And those artists, who went along this path, create their fanbase in the real world, at concerts, in small tours, distributing their records through small CD and vinyl stores. This is the proverbial unity in the culture, which the Internet does not replace. Internet has become only an additional help to a culture with long traditions.

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