At the age of 22, prolific Los Angeles-based artist Hal Williams has been concocting beats and crafting rhymes for over half his life. Growing up in Atlanta, he started the hip-hop collective NRK (Nobody Really Knows) in high school, and later hooked up with Odd Future’s Matt Martians to form the production outfit Jet Age […]
Last month, Melbourne, Australia-based beatmaker Dizz1 signed to the U.K.-based Tru Thoughts label, and on Feb. 17, it will release his new “Everyday Grind†EP. The title track stutters forward with a heavily-distorted rhythm, off-kilter drum beats, and sinister synth wobble that sounds like a NES bad guy laughing at you, in the vein of […]
After releasing the long-awaited albums “Event 2†with Deltron 3030 and “The Kitchen†with Hieroglyphics in 2013, underground rapper Del the Funky Homosapien kicks off the new year with a surprise new solo album, “Iller Than Most.†Released under the name Zartan Drednaught COBRA, he touts it as “futuristic and fun – but still on […]
Producer-singer-songwriter triple-threat Seven Davis Jr. displays a wonderful ability to fuse the force of house music and the flavor of funk yet distill it down to a lo-fi dance concoction. The title track of the Houston-born, Los Angeles-based artist’s recent solo release, the “One†EP, is an infectious slow-burning house cut, the kind of song […]
“Digital Smoke Signals” is the debut project from Los Angeles’ Got Damage, a new alternative rap duo composed of Geronimo $ and Spitting Bull. Their bio states that they have chosen “their own path using rap as ritual to channel messages of strength, spirit seeking, and exploration of the unknown, full of mythical themes and […]
Los Angeles-based hip-hop group OverDoz has been around for a few years now, putting out the mixtapes “Nova” in 2010, and “Live For, Die For” in 2011 which featured guest spots from Casey Veggies, Dom Kennedy, and Kendrick Lamar, as well as putting in an appearance on A$AP Rocky’s “Long.Live.A$AP” track “Pain.” Now the collective […]
Los Angeles’ perennial hip-hop MC Murs has a new imprint called Label 316, and he has put together a new posse-showcasing track titled “S.O.S.” The Pharaoh Davis-directed music video was shot at the Beach Hut Deli in Reno, Nev., full of old-school arcade games, and features Highland Park’s Reverie, New Jersey’s Kosha Dillz, Oklahoma City’s […]
The release party for Dam-Funk and Snoopzilla’s collaborative album “7 Days of Funk” was a celebration not only of their record but of funk in general, hosting a deep roster of special guests on Tuesday night at downtown’s Exchange LA. Some time after midnight, Bootsy Collins took the stage and asked the crowd, “Are you […]
Not much is known about Leaving Records’ underground beatmaker Dakim, the Detroit native who now resides in Berkeley. But following his recent performance at Los Angeles’ Boiler Room and the Stones Throw release of his new album “6F00FF,” this may soon change. His work serves to rebut the phrase “drum machines have no soul,” with […]
7 Days of Funk, the collaboration of Dam-Funk and newly christened Snoopzilla, released their debut self-titled album today via Stones Throw Records, and mark the occasion with a new video for their song “Hit Da Pavement.” Following the “to be continued…” first video for the track “Faden Away,” we pick up the adventures of Dam […]
