Day Dreams Start Fires is a collaboration between Tourettes and 12 New Zealand artists including Misery, Askew, Deus, Cut Collective, Kerry Ann Lee, Gasp and more. The art works are going to be made into A1 prints and sold for 60 dollars.
Opening night is on Thursday the 30th of October at the Basement (ex Silo). Starting at 7:30pm there will be performance from Tourettes, Drab Do Riffs, R.E.S, and Cyphanetik. Hero and myself will be DJing earlier on aswell. The exhibition will be up for two weeks. animals? animals! yo
Here are some interesting vids. For me I can like music for all sorts of reasons. The aesthetic of it, what the lyrics are addressing, or the boundries it’s seeping over. Alot of the time I just listen to some ignorant shit for the dope beat!
Anyway. The first is by Ise Lyfe. It’s a conscious rap (I fuckin hate that term) delivered in the ‘fun’ style of alot of the hip hop he is talking about. He’s mocking people, but at the same sounds pretty fresh. I dunno, I think I like……check it out!
Ise Lyfe - Bad Word Bounce
This song is pretty tight too, though it is all about the near perfect remake of the opening credits to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air….nice effort with the art direction yo!
I have been a Heiroglyphics fan since I first heard Del’s ‘Mistadobalina’ on Ready to Roll one saturday morning. Admittedly my favourite Bay Area rapper of that time was probably MC Hammer, but hey I was 11.
I donned the 3 eyed logo on a homemade t shirt and a beanie that I lost on the train. The records stacked higher, and I spent hours milling over how the hell Casual could be so ill.
Heiroglyphics is a superforce. Each MC bringing something original to the table. They go the Full Circle and continue to put out top quality material.
Opio is one of four members in the legendary Souls Of Mischief. Following up 2005’s Triangulation Station, Vulture’s Wisdom, Vol. 1 does not disappoint. The album has been on repeat in my headphones for the last 2 weeks. Produced by Architect, this LP is a serious collaboration of refined yet raw skill.
Opio - Stop The Press
Anyone that references William Defoe, Richard Pryor and gives a friendly diss to Brian Austin Green is fine by me. The DJ Muggs style beat of ‘Don Julio’ on which Opio mentions Soundgarden, the chopped up soul sampling of ‘About Love’, Opio ‘taking chances with his freedom’ over some serious switch ups and a trippy outro in ‘Vice Versa’, and the boom bap ‘Original Lyricist’ (complete with Rakim sample) that gels perfectly with Opios running delivery are all good reasons to go cop this album! ’To the People’ is the joint I’m feeling the most. It’s the sort of hip hop you probably wish you made!
Opio - To The People
I was lucky enough to ask Opio a few questions about his recent release. In the interview Opio talks about Rodney Rude, Salsa and Hyphy among other things.
1. The new album has a straight up raw sound to it. I’m really feeling the beats. How do you know Architect?
Architect is a cat that I always respected. His beats been dope from day one. I got up on him thru his early Stones Throw projects. He really set himself apart from a lot of the stuff I was hearing. He’s always doing something creative and original. And that’s the direction we’re going in with this project
2. Vulture’s Wisdom, Volume One is the first part in a triology. Are you going to be working with any other artists on the follow up albums?
Keep checkin our myspace, youtube etc. We have gems to drop. Currently we’re keeping a lot of the details of the other records under wraps right now. We just want to focus on Volume one and allow time for cats to absorb this energy. Phase 2 is coming soon. But I think people will pleasantly surprised when they see what we’ve done…
3. What is on the DVD that comes with the album?
Man to keep it real I’m an insomniac, so whenever I’m at home on the late night puffin that Northern Killa Cali I’m mostly watching cartoons and videos. With the DVD we tried to bring the two things together. Like you’re channel surfing between the 2. It’s hot! We got cartoons as interludes and videos for a lot of the songs on the album. The Original Lyricist video where I’m at the Raiders game really captured the essence of the song. And my man Justin Herman killed it on Some Superfly Shit! He made my raps come to life…
4. When did you first notice the ‘hyphy movement’, Did it fit in to what you and your crew were doing?
Hyphy is not givin a fuck! They been feelin like that in Oakland for as long as I can remember. And history shows that it was like that even before I was born. The “Hyphy Movement” is the new age of that energy. But it ain’t brand new, and it ain’t all funny and jokey. It’s hardcore and underground, pushing away from the status quo because it’s so wild. You can’t contain Hyphy. To many it appears to spiral out of control and that terrifies the mainstream. But underneath, it’s all organized confusion. It fits into what me & my crew is doing because on one level it helps put our life experience in context. People would think that since we’re from CA that we had Crips and Bloods in Oakland. Or that we drove around in 64 impalas with hydraulics. We respect LA but the Bay has its own separate identity. The hyphy movement shows that California has a diversity of thought that doesn’t exist in many places on earth. And the bay is a key element to that identity. We stay connected and respected peep “The House That Hiero Built” in the SF Bay Guardian…
5. I saw you play Jazz Café in London with the rest of Souls of Mischief and Zion I a few years ago. That was a tight show. Do you think you’ll get out to New Zealand any time soon!
I’ve actually been to New Zealand when I was like 12 or 13. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I’ve always wanted to go back. I went to both islands and had a great experience there. I know the dude is Australian but I got to listen to Rodney Rude when out there, I’ll never forget that shit man. I wanna come back. From Oakland To Auckland!!!!
6. Hieroglyphics have kept pretty prolific over the years. Are their any plans for a new Hieroglyphics album?
We have some things in the works as we speak. Be on the lookout, it’s fa sho comin’.
7. Are there any new artists from the Bay Area that we should look out for?
Peep out my man Knobody outta Oakland. He’s the truth…
8. What do you listen to when you’re not listening to hip-hop?
Shit I listen to everything from Salsa to Classical. Recently I’ve been bangin a lot of Isaac Hayes RIP he was a genius and the embodiment of soul. My heart goes out to his family he will be deeply missed.
9. Finally, what are your top 5 current tunes at the moment?
Pursuit of the Pimp Mobile: Isaac Hayes
Hung Up On My Baby: Isaac Hayes
Dope Fiend Beat: Too Short
Creator: Santogold
Too Drunk To Fuck (Live): Dead Kennedys
I’m not a huge fan of the ‘chopped & screwed’ style, though I do have alot of respect for some of the original southern cats such as DJ Screw. His mix tapes (real cassettes kids) made him famous and his style is mimicked to this day.
Check out this trailer for a doco on DJ Screw. Could be worth a squiz…..
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