The Message Blog: J.A.M.E.S. Watts - "Other Side" x "Get Up 8"

Review - Wu-Tang Clan: Pollen - The Swarm Part III

Posted by elmattic On June 24, 2010

In 1898, the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists led the Boxer Rebellion in China. They attacked thinking that their martial arts training would make them fly, be immune to bullets and call on spirit soldiers. Guess what, that didn't work out too good. Pollen is kinda like the Boxer Rebellion. The Wu's been rolling for 17 years now, and the ancient arts of shadowboxing on their own aren't enough in the modern world. I mean, what exactly is the point of another album of the A and B team Clan over middling beats?

Review - Everliven Sound - Freedom 2

Posted by Wally $ean On June 23, 2010

With the underground hip-hop scene producing so many new artists, it’s surprising to see how many are looking at the industry with the assailing eye of veteran rhymers. Take the duo Everliven Sound, also known as emcees the UK's Skit Skam and NJ's Cymarshall Law: although both are relatively fresh-faces in the game, their attitude, style and sound are something of a throwback. On their latest project together Freedom 2, Skit and Cy once again exhibit wisdom and abilities beyond their years, despite a number of problems.

Review - Godilla - Jaguar Paw

Posted by Wally $ean On May 19, 2010

The Jaguar Warrior was a terrifying Aztec soldier who brutalized his victims and captured survivors for ritual sacrifice...With an M.O. like that, it's no wonder why rapper Godilla seemingly pays homage to them on the cover of his LP Jaguar Paw, and he does so with good reason. The Easton, PA emcee and Snowgoons collaborator is out for weak emcees' blood on this album. Although it's not a perfect, with some lackluster beats and bars, it's an inspired, cohesive album that harkens back to he golden era of hip-hop while adding a dash of Latin flavor to spice up the recipe.

Review - The Closers - Bullpen Sessionz

Posted by Wally $ean On March 21, 2009

Hardcore gutter rap is something of a rarity these days. Apart from artists like Blaq Poet and Roc Marciano, very few emcees these days spit that raw shit that sounds like the soundtrack to getting yapped for all of your personal belongings. Yet hope is not lost for fans of that hard-body, get-mushed-or-moshed-out-type steez: The Closers - a four man collective of Shabaam Sahdeeq, Red Eye and the production combo Thorotracks - are up to bat with their latest project Bullpen Sessionz, and they're swinging away like the Baseball Furies.

Review - Statik Selektah - 100 Proof (The Hangover)

Posted by Wally $ean On February 10, 2010

For the past three years, Massachusetts producer and DJ Statik Selektah has had the underground hip-hop scene firmly under his thumb. With a barrage of mixtapes, guest productions and a nearly annual onslaught of album releases, Statik has managed to transform his little Showoff Records imprint into a burgeoning success, helping to propel emcees like Reks and Termanology into the spotlight. Now, Mr. Spell My Name Right is back with his third studio album 100 Proof (The Hangover).

J.A.M.E.S. Watts - "Other Side" x "Get Up 8"

Posted by Wally $ean On Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Technically, I've already posted these when I posted the Inside A Change mixtape, but why not? Here's a lil' bit about them from the man J.A.M.E.S. himself:

As many of you know, Rik debuted the film last week in New York City at the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival, only to then take home the festival's Best Picture award (for more info see here)!

In conjunction with the film's launch, the official Inside A Change soundtrack was released on July 30, and it featured new music from the likes of Consequence, Joell Ortiz, Wale, and others -- I had the great honor of contributing to 3 of the album's 21 tracks. Aside from releasing the song and video for "You're My Life" as a single (which many of you supported on your blogs and sites -- thank you), I wanted to shine the spotlight on the two other songs as well.

For the first, I teamed up with All Bets Down's and New Jersey's own A.P. and super-producers The Kickdrums; the second found me alongside my homie Frank G & Nami Unreal of Three/21 -- as I feel we did great work on both, I had to make sure that Hip Hop got a chance to hear these collaborations.

J.A.M.E.S. Watts and A.P. - "Other Side"

J.A.M.E.S. Watts and Nami Unreal - "Get Up 8"