ATH
ENS
HipHop
EVENTS
p. 3
SHOW PREVIEW
Chess & Community Fundraiser p. 4 CULTURE SERIES
Hip Hop Don’t Stop p. 7
CULTURE FEATURE
GTA: A Hip Hop Simulation p. 8
ALBUM REVIEW
Dope KNife p. 9
INTERVIEW
Square Up With AHHA Nominees p. 10
NETWORKING
p. 11
Vol. 1 Issue 3 • March 2017
Letter from the Editor This third edition of Volumes is based on commitment. So often the hope and energy we entered the new year with starts to dwindle after a few cold months. As the warm weather moves in, this is a good time to remember that sometimes spring cleaning is better spent blossoming. For some of us it’s a new job, a new project, or old loose ends. Make 2017 the year you see things through. -Scrap God
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Events April 2017
Space Dungeon Creature Comforts
World Famous Hip-Hop (First Tuesdays) Hosted by Mon2 & Chief Rocka
The Woke Show: A Chess & Community Fundraiser Cine Featuring Ishues, Squalle, Lingua Franca, Dictator,Yung’N Restless, Jer Z, Life the Griot, and KyKy Renee Knight of Harlot Party
Featuring SG ROE, Jyshohn Lyryc, Minnie Lea, Kxng Blanco and poetry by The Arsonist/The Talented Mr. Winfrey
Low EndTheories Flicker Bar Performances by WesDaRuler, Space Brother, Mr. E, 180, Ron DMC
Space Dungeon Iron Factory
Twinzo of Y.O.D. @ Caledonia
7eaven Twinzo
(lofi-soul, alternative hip-hop) d3xx.bandcamp.com
Freestyle Cypher Night Go Bar Featuring South Indies, Dark Matter,Valore, Unorthodocks
ADVERTISE HERE Get your business or project out there! Take advantage of our affordable ad space in the next issue of Volumes. Contact volumeszine@gmail.com for rates and ad specs today. Space Dungeon @ World Famous
ADVERTISE HERE
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SHOW PREVIEW:
The Woke Show: A Chess & Community Fundraiser
When: Saturday, April 15th Where: Cine
also be a silent auction that gives attendees the chance to win free tickets to the 40 Watt, goodies from home. made and Last Resort Provision, artist merch, and more. All profits from this event go towards funding one of Chess & Community’s four annual scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to community-minded high school students to help aid them in continued academic success. Each scholarship is $1,000; so supporting this fundraiser will be a very beneficial step in supporting the success of the youth in the community.
“In line with the core values of both Hot Corner Hip Hop and Chess & ComPresented by: Hot Corner Hip Hop munity, the event will Benefit for : Chess & Community promote community engagement, cross-cultural contact, and inSupporting the community and guiding creased visibility for musicians of color. the youth is as important in hip hop as it is There are a lot of outstanding entreprefor the city we live in. That’s why The Woke neurs in the Athens hip hop scene who have Show: A Chess & Community Fundraiser used their platforms to promote positivity being held April 15th at Cine from 7pm- and who give back to their neighborhoods, 11pm is a great cause with an even greater and so bringing them all into a room for an evening is a way of emphasizing the overlap message. between people we recognize as entertain“Chess & Community is a youth devel- ers and people we think of as leaders,” emopment organization which aims to expand phasizes Mariah. the minds of young people of color through This event has an amazing line up of mentoring, travel, and community service. Chess is a metaphor used throughout their Athens hip hop artists along with spoken programming to emphasize to participants word performers that will guarantee a good the importance of always thinking before time for a good cause. Come out and watch you move, hence the name of the Think Be- Life the Griot, KyKy Renee Knight (of Harfore You Move scholarship, which this event lot Party), Jer Z, Yung‘N Restless, Dictator, will benefit,” explains Mariah Parker, orga- Lingua Franca, Squalle, and Ishues show you what Athens hip hop is all about! nizer of this event.
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Donations will be collected at the door, with a suggested price of $5-$10. There will
- Scrap God IG scrap_goddd
ATH EN
S
HipHop
PRESENTS:
SATURDAY, MAY 13TH
CALEDONIA LOUNGE
Volumes (that’s right, this magazine!) is presenting a show in benefit of Athens For Everyone Saturday, May 13th at Caledonia Lounge. Not only is this a big step for us and what we do, but the proceeds from this show go towards a great local organization whose efforts make sure Athens remains a place of equality and safety for everyone.
This is an 18+ show with an energetic line-up of local Athens hip hop artists. Volumes Hip Hop and Athens For Everyone will have booths set up at the show for information about what we do and how others can join. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Pre-sale tickets are $5, with $1 of every ticket sold benefitting A4E. Tickets at the door are $7, with $2 of every ticket sold benefitting A4E.
PERFORMANCES BY:
HipHop
ENS
volumeszine@gmail.com
ATH
/volumeshiphop
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Squalle, LG & Wes DaRuler @World Famous
Mia Smith @ World Famous
Squalle & LG @ World Famous
Will Weber @ Rowdy Dowdy
BYV @ Rowdy Dowdy
Trav Williams @ World Famous gawdlee @ Little Kings
Louie Larceny @ Little Kings Julianna Money @ World Famous
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BYV @ Gameday
Hip Hop Don’t Stop: Intro
:CULTURE SERIES
Hip hop is not just about expensive cars, jewelry, and clothes; it’s also about a fantasy world filled with naked women, consuming high quality drugs, and being as violent as possible. If you watch television, listen to the radio, or read a major publicaMontu Hosting World Famous Hip-Hop tion that’s the image must defend its way of living. It’s these cenbeing painted of Hip hop. Mainstream meturies’ old wars that have lead to the curdia has painted this warped picture for rent state of societal affairs, where a masthe entire world to be mis-educated. Most sive cultural pillaging is taking place. These people deal with Hip hop people or hear days it is “corporate imperialists” doing Hip hop music in one form or another alwhatever they have to do to survive, which most daily and never really know who or is destroying the Hip hop culture. They what they are dealing with. What really is rape, steal, and are destroying anything that Hip hop and where are the elements of this keeps their system of subjugation operculture rooted? Despite broad treatment ating. Hip hop and its entire rich heritage of Hip hop, I believe the elements of this must be preserved for future generations culture must be revisited with the goal of of Hip hop to survive. Hip hop is our past, educating our communities with the truth present, and our future way of living. It proabout Hip hop. There are those that do not vides us with the wisdom of traditional anthink Hip hop deserves so much attention, cestors combined with the knowledge and passing it off as a fad or an American sublessons of our contemporary elders, feedculture at best. However, I believe that they ing us with truth (culture). are mistaken because of Hip hop culture’s deep traditional African legacy. Cultural preservation is important in keeping our world balanced, which is the The official birthday of Hip hop is Noonly way to obtain tangible justice for all. vember 12th 1974, making Hip hop only 43 Cultural experiences of the world are as years young. Although Hip hop is young, it important and as diverse as the fish in the is ancient in its traditional African roots. sea or the birds in the sky. And it is this asThe essential elements of Hip hop reunisortment that keeps the sea and sky stable. fied by Afrika Bambaataa (an honorable If cultures continue to be annihilated, we Founding Elder of Hip Hop) are: will end up with a global monolithic point of view, having only one type of fish in the sea and no birds in the sky. Life is about variety in all aspects of society, from the fish and birds to the people, places and things. All cultures must be preserved; the ideology of cultural hierarchy, thinking one culture is better than any other must be rejected by all cultures. It was this ideology that lead to the attack on the indigenous people of Africa from ancient to modern times, the Native American massacre, and the Jewish Holocaust. Hip hop as well as all cultures globally must be preserved in Afrika Bambaataa order to tell future generations the truthful and diverse story of humanity. Hip hop has The DJ, The MC (also spelled Emcee), many elements; my writings in future issues The Dancers (the Breakers), Writing (Graf of Volumes will only concentrate on the artists), and knowledge. Like its ancestors five essential elements that helped form and elders, Hip hop also inherited enemies Hip hop. So open your heart and you will seeking out its destruction. Global “impelearn many things. Hip Hop Don’t Stop… rial wars” have existed for centuries. Hip - Wm Montu I Miller hop, like its foremothers and forefathers, @ mon2miller
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CULTURE FEATURE:
Grand Theft Auto: a Hip Hop Simulation
Hip hop is deeper than rap. Hip hop is a lifestyle. Real or imagined, everyone who has ever picked up a mic is projecting a version or part of themselves that fits into the hip hop paradigm. All genres of music have an aesthetic; however, the uniqueness of hip hop’s aesthetic is that it is a true culture. The clothing, demeanor, and dialect of the hip hop culture is immersive and dominant. Hip hop is everything and anything. Even video game culture has been absorbed. Although similar in how immersive it is, gaming culture has fully embraced hip hop. Gamers play a game, communicate with others and to others in the community while gaming, and, most of all, they do it like hip hop. Competitiveness, trash talk, and the pursuit of dominance are values shared by both gamers and emcees. So there is no wonder why the gaming aesthetic has seeped its way into hip hop the way it has. After all, gaming has been trying to bring the gamer to the cypher for decades.
The Grand Theft Auto franchise revolutionized gaming. GTA gave you a free world to explore and destroy. GTA allowed you to be a sociopath, an antihero, or both. The early iterations of the game laid the groundwork for what would become the most fantastical hip hop game ever. GTA San Andreas let you pretend you were coming straight out of Compton. Gangster rap, a hip hop sub-culture, was explored and exploited by the GTA franchise. The vulgarity and violence is exaggerated and oh so mainstream. GTA 5 is like listening to the radio. GTA 5 is the culmination of the franchises’ exploitation and bastardization of hip hop culture. In this way, GTA hurts our scene. The Athens hip hop scene shares some of the aesthetic but none of the bullshit. If hip hop is a game, GTA shows a scene that ain’t ours. Athens hip hop is real, authentic, and super dope. Our scene is the day-to-day highlight reel of real hip-hop heads. The music generated from this scene reflects each and every voice that creates it in a way that GTA would exaggerate and distort. NBA 2K is a more fitting comparison. Our music is true and so real that every mp3 is a sit down discussion with each artist. In our scene, just as in NBA 2K, the listener gets to take part in the careers and lives of each artist in a very immersive way. Game culture is almost all simulation and fantasy now and, in most ways, so is hip hop. GTA is cool at times; however, true, real, and authentic should never be underrated. - Trav Williams blackpeopleareawesome. blogspot.com
G-Money @ World Famous Hip-Hop
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Dope KNife’s 1984 There aren’t a lot of bad things you can say about Dope KNife and his project “1984”. Dope has a talent for using intricate rhyme patterns that command your attention without feeling overbearing. The style of the project is unique in that he has carved out his own lane lyrically but still uses traditional boom bap drum patterns that feel so familiar when we think of hip hop. That may also be the only low of this album. While he excels at delivering hard hitting punchlines and wordplay that will wow you, you can’t help but feel that the production is a little “safe”. Personally, I find myself nodding my head along with the album no matter what song I choose. Commercially it may fall flat in terms of “memorable,” but for the real hip hop fans who love to dissect the lyrical ability of the artist, “1984” will stand against any modern age lyricist and outshine a good few. - Trvy @trvyf
Dope KNife @ Little Kings HCHH
:ALBUM REVIEW
I’m not going to lie, after hearing his last release and attending multiple shows I am already a fan of Dope KNife. But this review isn’t about his previous projects or stage presence, it’s about his latest drop “1984”. On this, KNife showcases his superb lyrical ability with a tirade of rhymes accompanied by clever punchlines and references to everything from social issues to throwback hip hop references. Blending the idea of George Orwell’s novel about a dystopian government with the boom bap style beats that were so prevalent in the 80’s not only makes “1984” a creative idea for a concept album, but it also just seems to mesh together seamlessly with KNife’s flow and delivery. I recommend this listen to anyone who enjoys old school or new school hip hop. - Zoo IG iamsonzoo
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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:
SQUARE UP WITH
AHHA NOMINEES Dictator Travis West @DictatorDaRuler FB/ Travis ‘D’ West IG/stoneboy_ruler soundcloud.com/ dictatortharuler
Where did you grow up, and how has that impacted your music?
Where did you grow up, and how has that impacted your music?
Who is a big musical influence for you that would surprise people?
Who is a big musical influence for you that would surprise people?
I grew up right here in Athens, Ga. I grew up in the trailer park with my daddy the only person in the house really working. I know what it’s like to really be at the bottom. I know there’s a lot of people out here in worse situations than me, so I try to let them know in my music I know where you coming from.
As everyone else, I’m a huge Michael Jackson fan. My daddy would play a lot of The Gap Band, a lot of Charlie Wilson. I remember riding in the car going to flea markets and stuff, and my daddy had that thing on blast. At a young age that made me feel like they were having fun. As an AHHA nominee, what kind of opportunities does this present to you?
It’s good to go on your resume, it’s good for press. I feel like the Athens Hip Hop Awards as a whole is good for the community, especially the young artists. It gives you something to strive for.You want to see your name on that list whether you win it or not. Who would you thank in a Grammy speech?
The man upstairs, first of all. My family, my mom, my dad. They spent a lot of money in my younger years helping me do this and do that. My brothers, who have seen some of the worst and highest points of my career. My old lady, she helps promote just as much as I do. My GA Pro family, stone boys, Montu.
I grew up on military bases and all over. My dad was in the army. That was in the States, I also lived in Germany. So I was exposed to a lot of different music from a lot of different regions. It kind of helped me develop an eclectic style and taste in music.
Tears for Fears. I think a lot of times their lyrics are overlooked. The way they phrase things, that’s always been a big thing for me as a lyricist. Everyone has their own fingerprint, so to speak, and theirs is pretty unique. As an AHHA nominee, what kind of opportunities does this present to you?
It puts you in front of the hip hop scene as a whole. You have the kind of indie hip hop scene, and then you have the more club or mainstream scene.With this hip hop awards show, it kind of brings everyone together. So people that you may not get to interact with much, you get to rub elbows with them or network. Who would you thank in a Grammy speech?
I’d have to say Creature Comforts. Jameson, probably the most. And of course my mom. In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle Athens’ artists face?
The biggest obstacle is that we’re kind of in the shadow of Atlanta. So a lot of times, you get people mimicking the stuff that comes out of Atlanta. We gotta just do I know this is gonna sound like a broken record, but our own thing. It’s just a psychological thing. unity. Athens being so small, so compact I feel like if we just unified like for real, I’m talking about linking up...I feel like Athens would become the new mecca.There’s What’s next in 2017? I’ve got a couple of solo projects that I’m working on. a lot of hate, man. Then I’ve got something with Son Zoo. The most immediate thing is a visual EP that’s going to come out in What’s next in 2017? Right now we’re working on booking a lot of shows. May. The name keeps changing, but today it’s “Under I got so much music, I’m just trying to make sure the the Influence.” It’s going to be like a short film basicalstuff that I got get heard. I should have a “Verse 3” ly. I’ve got a lot of visual props, definitely going to be coming soon. Me and Elite Tha Showstoppa been working those into the live performances. You want touchin on trying to do a “Hard Headed Vol. 3.” They to have something to look at and be interested in. best be very scared of that one. In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle Athens’ artists face?
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Caulfield Curtison Jones @my_name_is_caulfield FB/Caulfield IG/my_name_is_ caulfield
:THE NETWORK
Producers Dexter Sims dextersims89@gmail.com FB: Dex Does Music IG: theblvkjesus Twitter: @Twinzodadon Snap: cruz_89 Work Money Entertainment, LLC 404-781-5308 workmoneyent@gmail.com FB: Carlos Jones Kaliko Liberty Entertainment - Owner Ear Candy Studios - Owner 706-248-9523 FB,YT, IG, Google+, & Twitter: @itskaliko
Engineers Trevor Wiggins 706-499-9923 trvyfeatures@gmail.com Social Media: @trvyf Imorie Curry 706-308-4190 lexcallahan@hotmail.com Social Media: @lexcally
Marketing/Promotions United Group Of Artists 678-740-3884 P.O. Box 49096 Athens, Ga. 30604
Photography KatTookIt Photography Katherine White 706-621-2822 kattookit@gmail.com
Video Production No Silver Spoon Production Jeffery Welborn & Ricky Campbell 706-224-9669 Owen Hunt owenm.hunt@gmail.com Social Media: @bootsygreenwood
Photography/Video iGoByGoodie 706-207-1345 igobygoodie@gmail.com Josh Hart Media 678-637-9927
Illustrator Danielle Summers danisumm@uga.edu danisumm.com FB: /danisummart IG: danisummart
Hip Hop Artists A. Mack Booking: 706-308-5539 amack068@gmail.com FB: Aviyon Mack IG: A.mack706 Snap: A_mizzlee Dictator 706-818-0387 tothapoint@gmail.com DK Cell: 706-920-8093 Alt.: 706-340-8071 dk.nowles.nowledge@gmail.com FB: /dedric.knowles Twitter: @DK_nowles Snap: dedric1225 Soundcloud: /dk_nowles_nowledge Emissary89 grcpsych@gmail.com IG: emissary89 Twitter: @emissary89 Soundcloud: /emissary89 Kxng Blanco kiddblanco706@gmail.com Social Media: @KxngBlanco SoundCloud/Spinrilla: Kxng Blanco L.G. (HOTC) hotclg15@gmail.com FB: L.G. or @hotc15 Social Media: HOTC_LG Space Brother spacebrothermusic@gmail.com FB: /spacebrothersoundsystem Soundcloud: /spacebrothersoundsystem spacebrother.bandcamp.com ZiggyRoxxx 706-621-9000 iggylocz@gmail.com IG: ziggyvoodoochild Soundcloud: /ziggyroxxx
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR DONORS: • Cencere • Rusty Holcomb COVER ART BY: Georgeinna Brackett
For more information contact Sam Lipkin volumeszine@gmail.com /volumeshiphop