MIXTAPE 79 – ALL UNSIGNED HYPE
It’s been a minute since I’ve really concentrated on the independent artists that really make this show stand out from any other bullshit show. While it would be pretty easy for me to just play old classics or guaranteed sellers, therapy nothing ever really progresses without the new, page underground artists.
So this episode is 100% devoted (minus the intro cut, prostate obviously) to giving some shine to the independent artists without a major record/distribution deal, without a bunch of squares telling them how to sell records in the college market. Just a bunch of talented young brothers and sisters with talent, an MPC, and a myspace.
This show and community was built on the strength of real artists who have supported the show since day one. This episode is just a small thank you.
Big Shug – Play It (prod DJ Premier). The video for this cut is actually pretty good. Basically Shug sits around in gym shorts and looks at the camera with puppydog eyes and asks you to play more records. Okay that didn’t sound so great but really – it’s a simple, yet good video. The track is just a given, and partially helped remind me that I needed to do a show like this. myspace.com/gangstarrfoundation.
Interlude – Dex Digital, CEO of the Mixtape Show Corporation in 2016 vs Propane Pip (and his conscience). Beat by Alf-Alpha.
Gif – Oh Love. I am not sure where the name came from, but Gif’s cut is good. I can’t even remember when he got this one to me – months and months ago – but I’ve been meaning to drop it for a miiinute. Postproductionwise the song needs work – the levels are way too hot – but the feeling is definitely there. myspace.com/dagif.
Binary Star – Conquistadors. This group no longer exists (or at least I don’t think it does), but this is back from their Waterworld days. I remember the first time I met this dude named White Boy (not the rapper, but this kid who actually preferred that we all refer to him as White Boy, or WB – like the TV network). He had on a set of headphones, so I asked him casually what he was listening to. “Binary Star. You should check them out, man.” Which ended up being pretty good advice. This record didn’t really age so well, but you can see the duo really pushing to find their own sound on this cut. And come on. Chuck Mangione beatflip? I’m there. myspace.com/onebelo (one half of the former BS).
Rashid Hadee – You Can’t Hide feat Augustine. I don’t even remember where I got this one from. Production values on this one are a little higher than the previous cuts, and really the cadences are kinda Little Brother-esque, or maybe even a little reminiscent of certain artists on the Loud Minority roster. I can’t even remember who e-mailed me this song – whoever it was – thank you. myspace.com/rashidhadee.
Specifics – This Is Why. Specifics is one of the few groups I can name that just has consistently good material. The MC is constantly just this side of weird, and the jazz loops are solid, and never give you that “okay another lame throwback” feel. I really wanted to drop “My Tunes” in here, but couldn’t get it in time. Maybe I’ll get it in the future. It looks like Specifics has an album dropping in the near future in Japan – if you live out there, you might want to get in on this. myspace.com/specifics
Trew – Lyrics To Go feat Mic Source. Has this sample been flipped before? Yes? Do I care? Not if the rhymes are this good. myspace.com/trewdat.
K.Sparks – Ghetto Child feat Tina Quallo. This one, along with the last one, hit my inbox not more than a few weeks ago. Really, this song just works – if I find myself putting a joint on repeat when it’s still in the gmail account, it’s in. This is one of those cuts. Make sure to check out the blog of the Hoodgrown record label – I’ve never seen so much transparency in a record label before. If you are looking for a perspective on how weird the music business can get for an independent label – check this out. myspace.com/k.sparks.
Outro beat – Alkota.
So that’s it for this week – as always, stay in tune for new developments – got a few things coming down the pipeline.
Sup, Dex? Nice show…that Big Shug joint is tight…I heard the whole album and it’s well worth checkin out. The other joint that really stood out was: Rashid Hadee – You Can’t Hide feat Augustine..this was REALLY hot.
Thanks again!
And please keep hitting us with more of that indie flav, man! I miss that! I still bump ALOT of your older shows DAILY!
Peace!
Greg
(Oh..I voted for your podcast..GOOD LUCK!)
Thanks for the show Dex!
That Big Shug joint is nice. I heard the whole CD and it is well worth checking out! I also REALLY enjoyed:
Rashid Hadee – You Can’t Hide feat Augustine
That joint was hot!
Dex, please keep bumpin that indie stuff, man! I really enjoy what you did on your older episodes (which I bump DAILY at work).
Peace!
Greg
(Oh..I voted for your podcast! Good luck, man!)
Greg – Good looking out on the vote. On the indie stuff – like I said, that’s what this show was built on – that and those handful of people like you that really started running with the show in the beginning.
But keep it real, it’s been like 2007 has been some sort of drought. I get maybe 20-25 mp3s on a slow day, and 90% of those are deleted before they finish the first verse. There’s always going to be a low signal:noise ratio in popular music (which, of course, rap is), but it’s like some of these dudes (and females) should really just put the mic down.
There are a lot of people who are just on some “support independent music no matter what”, and I just can’t dig that. I feel like if you do that, somebody who is trying to search for independent music will listen to it and say “wow, indie music sucks. I’m going to stick with Bow Wow.” Some people – indie or major – are wack – not for lack of technique or polish – but just because they’re too afraid or unoriginal to break the formula and do something original.
You don’t need a bunch of square-ass college promoters or contrived rhymes or lame-ass “hood videos” to get people to listen to your shit. Just make good, original music. Take Binary Star, for example. If I was A&Ring their original release and I heard that Conquistadors cut, I woulda sent them back into the studio to work on the hook, and fired the engineer. It’s just raw, in a kinda bad way. But that doesn’t really matter…
Keep in mind though that this was recorded, mastered, everything – on a $500 budget, verses were recorded in one take, and they were just new jacks to this whole thing. They were just doing what they loved. Their listeners could appreciate what they were doing and they got a pretty loyal following off a record that was pretty much an afterthought. And this was before myspace.
What matters is that they were focusing on making something original. There’s not a whole lot of that right now – so I find it harder and harder to find material in the underground that is worth supporting, and worth presenting to you all.
I agree and disagree with the whole indie scene, Yes there is alot of shitty indie music out there and theres alot of good stuff too. Because the software and equipment are easily obtainable now, everybody and their grandmother has the ability to step into the game. Now, I agree some bammas just need to step off out the game cuz the magic just aint there.
Binary Star may have sum raw cuts production wise (which in my opinion isn’t necessarily a bad thing) but they got the lyrics to back up the track, so thats what makes their records memorable. I don’t just listen to the beat and determine if its a hot track, if thats the case i would just listen to instrumentals, its the lyrics and the way it flows WITH the beat thats a determining factor, and yes, alot of bammas in the underground can’t do that, alot of bammas in mainstream can’t do it either. But theres the diamonds in the rough like, oddisee, junk science, alf alfa, kenn star, the perceptionists, giant panda, people under the stairs, slug, stones throw records, def jux, lowlife records,loud minority, ninjatune, big dada, el da sensei, doujah raze, wordsworth, priest da nomad,free speech, storm the unpredictable, and tons of others (cough cough) that makes underground hip hop alive , so it will continue to have my support
because some mainstream artists were underground at one time, till they got that contract, and sold out their quality (good beats or good lyrics) for quantity (more money, my audience are idiots) , ill show btw
Damn sir. Nice list you got going on there.
I think we’re on the same page. I’ll agree that the whole technology revolution, when it trickled down to rap music, had a sort of gutenberg effect. Lots of people get to make rap music, and lots of those people probably shouldn’t.
I almost feel bad saying that people should put down the MPC or mic though, because I don’t want to discourage people. But yeah, a lot of people are wasting our time.
On Binary Star – yeah, their tracks were hella unbalanced, but you can feel the honesty in what they were trying to do. There’s a concerted effort being made to push the envelope, and people appreciate that. I never faulted them for their weird mastering just like I never fault any other artist for not having a huge budget or the technical wizardry to produce slick tracks. You definitely have to start somewhere, and One Be Lo is a pretty good example of that.
Yeah, a lot of stuff is wack. Those diamonds in the rough, though, make it worth it. Every 5 hours I blow listening to wack shit is made up for when I find one good song I want to put on the show, believe me.
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Do you know where can i get that GIF song “OH LOVE”?
Been lookin everywhere bu no luck..
Herb hunta be the man