To me, Rhode Island is synonymous with mixtapes. Having come up in Rhody in the 90’s, I was inspired by legendary local mixtape DJ’s like Curty Cut, Fred Da Great, DJ Finesse, Mike Nice, DJ Buck, and Davey D (just to name my favorites). That’s a lot of talent for such a small state. Well, now you can add DJ Sterbyrock to the RI mixtape legacy. With “The Prestige Vol.1 (Rhode Island Hip-Hop Mixtape)”, Sterby has created an instant classic.

In this mix, the sound specific to Rhody’s indie hip-hop scene has been perfectly captured and presented for us all to listen to in a seamless mix full of that raw sh*t. There’s no attempts at corny radio hits here, it’s all stripped down like chicks at the Cadillac Lounge. Most of the beats sound like they’re straight off the sampler–no tracking–and there’s a dominating air of purity from start to finish; dudes made this music because they have to, not just because they can.

The beats range from jazz to rock to spaced-out funk; some choppy, some loops, and yet Sterby is able to make these songs sound like they were meant to be together. Using sharp scratching, some DJ tricks, and blending, the mix unfolds exactly how it should, with all the peaks and valleys that a great mixtape must have. For those of us that see music in linear code, this one’s got perfect structure. And did I say there’s actual DJing on here? Yes, but i had to say it again: this kid has made a MIXtape!

It’s exciting to listen to a project like “The Prestige Vol.1″, where the DJ really has a grasp and understanding of some sh*t that most of us couldn’t hear otherwise. Rarely has a scene been captured so well. This mix clocks in at an hour and three minutes, which is about how long it takes to drive from one end of Rhode Island to the other. So get you damn hands on this one and take that ride through the 4-0-1, khed. Print it.

–by DJ Mekalek

If you haven’t heard, the Providence Phoenix is holding its annual Best Music Poll and they’re looking for your votes. Not only is the hip-hop section full of heavy hitters waiting for your vote, some of RI’s finest hip-hop minds are also up for awards in other sections as well.

Best Hip Hop Act Nominees:

Chachi
Jon Hope
Labeless Illtelligence
Poorly Drawn People
Romen Rok
Theo

Vote here:

http://thephoenix.com/BMP/Providence/vote/HipHopAct/

Best DJ/Electronica Act Nominees:

Joe Beats
DJ Sterbyrock
DJ Therion

Vote here:

http://thephoenix.com/BMP/Providence/vote/DJElectronicaAct/#TOPCONTENT

Best Song Nominee:

Theo, for “Say It Right”

Vote here:

http://thephoenix.com/BMP/Providence/vote/Song/#TOPCONTENT

I won’t lie. Going into this review I did not have the most objective mindstate. Forgive me, but when Phillip Morrez told me that he leaned ‘towards the radio side of hip-hop’ in our e-mail correspondence, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and make assumptions. This review is a testament to the fact that you should never, ever make assumptions, because The Smoker’s Cough, Vol. 1 truly surprised me, and more than surpassed expectations.
First of all, when I found his mixtape in my e-mail inbox, I had no idea who the fuck Phillip Morrez was, other than that he was another rapper from Rhode Island, which doesn’t mean much these days. What I found was a good emcee with a ton of potential. Morrez is well aware of what he is, and doesn’t try to be anything else, which is an admirable quality. The lyrics are pretty solid throughout this release, albeit some of the subject matter is a little stale; he’s not exactly reinventing the wheel with songs like “Back Pack”, an obvious attempt at a club jam dedicated to the finer sex, but he does craft a decent one. The fact that I could actually sit through a song like “Back Pack” says a lot, so kudos to him.
The most impressing parts on this release were when Morrez just rhymes and avoids bullshit topics like broads or rims; when listening to “Say Goodbye”, I actually thought to myself “If Lil’ Wayne sounded more like this, I’d probably listen to the radio more often”. Morrez shines brightest when he’s got competition on the track; “No Hesitation” featuring SBo and Montana Millz is definitely the best track on this album, with “From the Soul” featuring Montana Millz coming close to it. There are some hiccups in delivery here and there, a testament to impatience more than anything; a lot of minor kinks that bog down some verses could have easily been worked out with another take. You probably won’t notice those kinks unless you really listen – but who does that shit anymore, anyway?
While you can attach a nice, fat JOTS seal of approval on Morrez’s lyrical efforts on this release, the beats are a slightly different story. A lot of the beats are very forgettable – it’s not that they’re bad, they just could be better. Too many emcees these days are using soul beats with PLAYED OUT chipmunk hooks that are almost completely interchangeable and equally trash-able – either emcees are too lazy to dig for good producers, producers are too lazy to try new things and make original sounds, or everyone is lazy and making music is meaningless these days. Reviewer rants aside, some of the beats are quite nice – “Close Your Eyes” and “From the Soul” are pretty well done, and “Don’t Let The Beef Ride” packs some grime to it that I’d like to hear more of. So PhillMorr, do me a favor and be picky as fuck when it comes to beats for your next joint. For that matter, that goes out to every aspiring emcee that may be reading this – there’s more to rap music than free Soundclick beats. DIG!

Jots Recommends – No Hesitation feat. SBo and Montana Millz
Don’t Let The Beef Ride
Say Goodbye

This is the essential album from Rhode Island right now! now that I got that out of the way I can say this album is straight Classsick from the beginning to the end. click the read more for the information.

Esh has kept me interested for quite sometime with this album. out of all the local guys I have cds of his gets the most play. This album captures almost all elements of what hip hop songs consist of as far as content. I mean the album opens up with an awesome samplesque type intro like it was something from an old superhero show from the 1950s, kept it going breaking into a rap about being the only man that can save the day. I believe him after listening to this album.

Did I mention that he did all his own production and it was not wack. Every track has a distinct sound of their own all the while being seemlessly put together and very consistent. For the hardcore boom bap fans we got some great verses for you, Ams Uno kills it on Sun Spots, while Cas kills it on tracks like “Ant Cymbal Monkey Movement”.  Esh has such a distinct flow that I could listen to it all day he could drop verses online and I would still check for it. My favorite track is the closing one which is very fitting for it. “Worlds Smallest Violin” is by far my current theme song, Ive had that track on my favorite list for a long time. I mean it could be I’m involved within the scene and can relate like its going out of style.

The artwork is also very amazing! great overall flow of it. I mean the phone booth thing is just such a nice piece to accent the albums overall feel, supergreat. To end this review If you dont have it yet your seriously missing out on a real gem. do yourself a favor and take a few bucks go out to newbury comics or Undergroundhiphop.com and buy it!!!

Ill even help you out here is the link:

Esh The Monolith feat. Ams Uno (of Clokworx), CasUno – The A.D.D.ventures Of An E.ccentric S.uper H.ero (w/ FREE Poster!)

Ive had this album in my hands for a long time, I got it from afterlife myself when I saw him at a show. When I got home and took a listen to it I was amazed at the talent that was on this album, Afterlife epitomizes Dark Hip Hop and does it better then anyone I have ever heard. read the review after the jump.

Let me start this off with the fact that the album art is absolutely amazing, not completely sure who did it but it fits the theme of the album quite well. So by the art what did you really expect from the album? If I had never heard it and saw the artwork I would expect what I had heard, which was amazing talent.

First off the beats on this album are amazing for the project. The overall theme of “The Darkside” is obviously death, mayhem and destruction and Afterlife delivers on all aspects of it. the beats are very synth/dark sounding which fits with afterlife’s constantly intricate wordplay about slaughter.  All the beats are done inhouse by Curfew. I think this fact alone helped make the album a great piece of art.

Afterlife delivers the skills that most probably wouldnt expect from a horror emcee (can I call him that?) but dont be shocked when you listen to the opening track and just hear pure anarchy from the rhyme scheme down to the wordplay.I’m not sure how long Afterlife has been involved with the scene or hip hop for that matter but the mic presence he has is astounding for the local talent. I mean on a skill leveling not many from the area are fucking with him.

Now while the album on a technical level is awesome, some might be bored with pure skill and while Afterlife did amaze me with his talent, the song content did not change up as much as some would like. But other then that this album delivers on every other aspect of it. Banging Beats, Crazy innovative Lyricism and pure skills.

Vibes-8 ; Beats-7 ; Skills-9 ; Content-5

For more information please visit: Myspace.com/afterlifemc

This review is an opinion of the author and in no way is the expressed consent of 401hiphop.com, I warned you now. click the read more link to find out what I mean.

The best part about this album is the cover. I’m sorry if that is too harsh to say about the album right off the bat but it needed to be said.

The album has over 15 tracks of the same rehashed song over and over again, what is the the theme you ask? Getting paper and being posted up on the block. Now let me say that this album has some pretty decent beats and if I wasnt trying to figure out what Freddie was trying to express throughout the album I probably wouldve enjoyed the album. That being said I got 9 tracks into it and I couldnt stand the album anymore. I had to stop listening to save myself some sanity.

Another thing about this album is the features are better then the artist they are supposed to be enhancing for the sake of the album. The traks content on each tend to contradict themselves over the length of the album I mean one song is about getting out of the ghetto and helping the kids but then within the SAME SONG he is talking about pushing drugs!?!? what the Eff is going on here?

To put it plainly the album has some pretty dope beats but the mixing is horrible on some tracks and the content is subpar at best.

I have to say that the album is not for me. But I did listen and well these words are the truth according to me.

Vibes-6 ; Beats-7 ; Content-2 ; Skills-4

care to judge for yourself?

Take It To The Top – [audio:http://www.401hiphop.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/05-take-it-to-the-top.mp3]

Head Above Water – [audio:http://www.401hiphop.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/04-head-above-water.mp3]

Need Not Worry – Providence, Rhode Island
http://www.myspace.com/neednotworry
I recommend – Formulatin’ Fathers – Sleepless Knights

I don’t know Need Not personally, so I really don’t know what his schedule or his commitments are like at all, but I am adamant in saying this dude needs to do more shows. I did a show with him back in November and his stage presence is amazing. The crown, the candy, the condoms, just the whole package makes for something that’s pretty rare these days. But live show aside, dude’s got rhymes – if he’d agree to teach me just a little of what goes on in his head, I’d do his laundry for a week or some shit. The Formulatin’ Fathers album is an awesome concept (if you like that term, which I don’t) album that follows a kid’s evolution from boy to man. Need Not’s wordplay, rhyme scheme, and delivery are just seamless – the definition of fluid. The whole package reminds me of Illmatic-era Nas, which is about as good of a compliment as a rapper can get. Do yourself a favor and pick up Sleepless Knights, because it’s an amazing piece of music. According to Need Not’s myspace, he and fellow Formulatin’ Father Drumatic (an amazing beatsmith in his own right whose style melds perfectly with his rapper brethren) have started work on the follow-up, entitled Foster Care. I’m pumped.

Cadence – Cambridge, Massachusetts
http://www.myspace.com/cadenceofrawproduce
I recommend – Raw Produce – The Feeling of Now

I first heard of Cadence through a website called www.urbansmarts.com, a sweet hip-hop site that has since gone down the shitter (much to my dismay). He wrote the occasional article for the site, and when I came across a Raw Produce CD in my local Newbury Comics, my first thought was “hey, I know of this dude” and picked it up. It’s now one of my favorite albums of all time, a permanent fixture in my car stereo and on my iPod. The thing I love most about Cade Money is the fact that he is the most down-to-earth rapper I’ve probably ever heard, a quality that stands out in his music miles ahead of his butter delivery and awesome wordplay, which is saying a LOT. Everyone in the underground says they make music for the love, but for the most part they’re full of it; Cadence doesn’t even really say it that often, but his love for the music emanates out of the speakers, neatly intertwined with his lyrics and his dope beats. If A Tribe Called Quest was to be combined into one and respawned as a white dude from Massachusetts, this is who they would be.

Dutchmassive – Tampa, Florida
http://www.myspace.com/dutchmassive
I recommend – Dutchmassive – Junk Planet

I put this guy on the list knowing damn well I do not give him the listening attention he deserves myself, but I plan to rectify that as soon as possible. (I also put him on the list because, for whatever reason, I thought he was from Connecticut. Go figure.) A rapper friend from England I correspond with is literally obsessed with this dude – he has every project he’s done, he’s got him on his top friends on myspace, his computer wallpaper is Dutch – it’s a little disturbing. But no matter how odd his man-crush may be, Dutch’s rhymes and beats justify it (for the most part). I had Junk Planet for a matter of a month, but lost it – the CD got wrecked, I never uploaded it to my computer, and that was that. But before it floated into oblivion, Junk Planet was on the player constantly, and I loved every second of it. Dutch has the flow of a dude who obviously knows his early 90’s hip-hop, but it’s not just simple emulation of his idols, either. Listening to the nostalgia-ridden track Just Me and my Walkman brought me back to the days when my parents were too cheap to buy me a CD player and bought me a cassette player instead – I thought it was awful at the time, but all the hand-me-down cassettes I got from my older cousins were a blessing in disguise. So pick his music up. NOW. He’s dope. Seriously.

Thoughts? Comments? Who makes YOUR underrated list?

I have had this in my possession for quite some time now, but due to not having a car stereo I couldn’t really listen to it. I only listen to music either live or in my car, it sounds weird I know but thats just what I do. so after the jump you get the review (on a side note that just rhymed!)

I was hoping when I received the files that by the title It would be a political album, and to a certain extent it was just that, without really getting to deep into the politics of the world. By his picture alone I was expecting something much different from the music, but it turned out real good. but onto the review:

I have to say I hate intro tracks on albums, unless they are really dope. They usually only consist of some random beat and some random scratching and such, while the intro on this album fits the whole theme of the title, I don’t really think it was that necessary but it was good, just not a great intro, the album wouldve been fine with the opening on the next track.

Kozz Won comes across pretty well on almost all the beats on this album (which I think were produced by Falside) at points its real dope and at others its kinda eh, but the overall sound of the album is pretty good. Probably one of my favorite tracks on the album is a story about being chased by G-Men or Feds or essentially secret agents. The song lays out the entire plot and the beat is real dope (I believe it was over a nine inch nails sample). The track name is “Operation X”. It would’ve been cool for this track to actually been filled out into a series of tracks telling a longer story.

Another stand out track is “Grab The Stars” it seems like he is having a conversation with maybe a younger version of him, while telling himself that the world is a tough place to have a dream but keeping reaching for it.

another stand out track is doomed youth, It makes me wonder if he has really had alot of problems with the law and such, the beat on this track is mesmerizing and dope. The beat on drift back is probably my favorite from this album.

Tracks that kinda ruined the theme of the album: “The Last time I’ll drink” not a bad track but if he was trying to keep a theme he killed it with this one. some stand out features on this album were lord willin and Rob tre.

overall I recommend for someone looking for something slightly different in content then the normal rap/hip hop album. click below to purchase from ughh.com.

Kozzwon – Poetic Terrorist

Over at WakeYourDaughterUp.blogspot.com, Toy Box Schaolars got the lofty award of being Editor’s Pick For The Week. For those that don’t know, Toy Box is made up of J Hewgs, Dreams, Dialect, Magma Grapple, Opaque Meridian and Studs who does double duty as emcee and producer. I am a long time friend of Studs Ramrod and knew him before he was “Studs Ramrod”. It does my heart good to see someone with his love and passion for TRUE hip hop getting shine.

So check out the write up over at WakeYourDaughterUp.blogspot.com. There are links there where you can download two full Toy Box albums.

JAMM!

This opportUNITY is for artists in the Rhode Island hip hop scene and surrounding (participating) areas (Southern MA and CT – whats up?). So lets get cracking. I want to get some good music up on the site!

- Josh/HW [Delusional Records, 401 Hip Hop]