Today, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis dropped their project The Heist. They had been working on their debut cd for over three years, hoping to make it flawless. Before it even hit iTunes at midnight it had reached #3 on top albums only behindG.O.O.D. Music's Cruel Summer, and Jay-Z's Live in Brooklyn. Then in about an hour after midnight it had jumped both albums to reach the top spot on iTunes.
Personally, I had been waiting for this album for about a year, having it marked out my calendars so the anticipation could build even more. Through the summer I would only listen to Macklemore to prepare myself for his upcoming album, which couldn't excite me more.
So finally the day comes which the LP is released, and I am glad to say that it was worth the wait and all of the excitement I had for it. Out of the 15 tracks, 5 of them had been released all ready, but they fit well in the cd. The ten new tracks didn't change from the Macklemore I had heard on his mixtapes, and the beats, made by Ryan Lewis, were just as good as their early ones.
In my opinion this was the perfect situation for the duo to release, about to receive national attention. With features from Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), and more, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis definitely made a top album, now it's just time for America to sit back, listen, and enjoy. Hopefully the duo will receive a larger fan base after their first album, and can only improve from here.
Follow them on Twitter: Macklemore Ryan Lewis
I first heard QuESt over the summer when he put out two remixes of Mt. Eden songs. This caught my attention because to touch a Mt. Eden song you have to know what you're doing. So I gave them a chance, and I'm glad I did. I fell in love right away with not only his lyrics, but something else caught my attention more. His flow. It's not like most flows you hear on the radio, "rap, rap, rap, [enter witty metaphor here]." Yes those are good when done right, and few can do them right anymore and many just make it sound terrible. When QuESt raps, he RAPS. He truly comes from the heart with his lyrics and his flow is very relaxed, which makes the lyrics easier to understand. This video is his most recent video project that he made, in a series leading up to his upcoming mixtape "Fear Not Failure." So be on the lookout for his new mixtape dropping very soon and you will not be disappointed.
You can follow him on Twitter and make sure to "Like" him on Facebook. And his site is http://www.yesiamquest.com/ where you can check him out more, and download his two mixtapes that are out.
Timeflies Tuesday, a huge internet sensation, is proving to everyone that he can continue to make great songs. Cal the "voice" of Timeflies is the lyrical genius of the duo, and Rob Resnick, is the producing genius of the duo, the one that many people don't even know about. The pair became famous for their releases of songs weekly every Tuesday night. The duo did this for almost a year and then released their own original project entitled, The Scotch Tape, which was a free EP for the fans. He is still continuing to release a song/video weekly and is now getting ready for a small tour. To say the least I am very excited to hear what's going to come in the future from these guys. On their most recent piece they sample Madonna's Super Bowl performance of her song "Music." That was 2 days ago, and they already made a song over it, that's pretty skilled. So definitely check out the rest of their music if you liked this, you will not be disappointed. Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for the most up to date info.
"I'm On 2.0" might be the top song released so far of the year. Trae Tha Truth brought together not one, not two, not three, but 9 other top musicians to join him on this song. He brings in Big K.R.I.T., Jadakiss, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, B.o.B, Tyga, Gudda Gudda, and Bun B all for a verse on the song, and then Mark Morrison to sing the hook. Morrison on the hook catches the audience's attention right away and makes them want to listen, and then the verses delivered by each rapper does not disappoint the listener. This song is a great piece of work by Trae Tha Truth, something that was completely unexpected from him. But so far it is definitely the top song of 2012.
iPhonic, is one of America's premier party hip-hop groups in the music industry today. The band consists of: Dave D, vocals; JQ, vocals; Matt Gibson, guitar and keys; and Ben Schigel, drums.
They stopped by Ohio University on their tour and got a chance to hang with them and interview them before the show.
JC: Let's start simple. What is the meaning behind your name, "iPhonic?"
JQ: It stands for, "Ill Party Hip-Hop Over Nasty Instrumental Concoctions"
JC: Is it true that you guys are graduates of Ohio University?
Dave D: Yes, Gibson and I both went to school here, and we knew JQ who joined up with us afterwards. Gibson: We used to be a cover band when we came here, and did shows at Red Brick every week which we would end up getting completely wasted after our shows. It was great.
JC: Who were your biggest musical influences? In your music I can hear a little Blink 182 and at sometimes I hear a little Sum 41.
Dave D: Thank you, I always grew up listening to Blink and still do. But other than them my biggest influences would have to be the Beatles, and 311. JQ: For me it would have to be folk music and new school hip hop. Gibson: Definitely Blink for me too. Besides them the Rolling Stones for sure, and definitely Eric Clapton.
JC: You got to work with two great Cleveland rappers, Krayzie Bone from Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony, and Machine Gun Kelley. What was it like working with them?
Dave D: Krayzie Bone was the coolest. The passion he had for the music was just off the charts. DJ E-V handed him our album, and 5 days after he called us, wanting to work with us. It was an honor. JQ: We worked with MGK right when he was coming up big. We collabed together to show off some new talent, and the fame he has now is great. Now just hoping we can get just as big. Gibson: Krayzie Bone was just sweet to work with. He sat there just drinking this vanilla vodka straight from the bottle with his headphones on working on his part for our song. He knew how to have fun, but also his passion for music was strong and wanted us to be impressed with his work. And we were.
JC: What are your biggest goals for your music career?
JQ: To take over the world with our music. Dave D: Same as JQ, but to also seeing the world while taking it over. Gibson: Rock Stardom
JC: Do you have any new music ready to release? Or are you waiting until after your tour?
JQ: We are currently working on the next album, which is yet to be named. But until it drops we will be releasing new singles every now and then. Dave D: New singles and features are going to be out soon, along with working with DJ EV in the near future. Gibson: We have some collabs ready, and also just start working on networking in the future too.
JC: What is the one thing you love the most about the music industry and touring?
JQ: Groupies & Blackouts Dave D: Attention Gibson: Vodka
JC: Alright last question. Are you guys signed right now? If not, do you plan to be signed soon?
JQ: We are unsigned right now, but we want to find the right team to work with. We don't want to sell ourselves out. It's more of a pride thing. Dave D: We've had a couple offers. but nothing that was too exciting to us.
I came across AudioDax, an LA band, about 2 months ago over winter break and was pretty impressed with what I heard. This duo is definitely going to get some attention in the future. Some have compared them to the next Chiddy Bang, but they don't have nearly as good of producing as Xaphoon of Chiddy Bang. But this is a song that most everyone can relate to. The message: only you know your full capabilities, a reoccurring theme in today's music. With catchy hooks on every song delivered by Temble, and the meaningful verses by Krypton FLO, they just can't mess up. I'll be definitely looking out for their newest music, and seeing how they can go one step further on their next song.
Follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Some people will remember Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 as Athens' first snowfall of the season. Others will fondly recall the date as their first exposure to Twenty One Pilots at the Union.
The band consists of Columbus, Ohio, natives Tyler Joseph (vocals/keyboards) and Josh Dun (drums). I caught up with the duo just before their show that night.
JC: When did you first meet, and did you think you’d end up performing with each other?
Josh: I met Tyler through the band's previous drummer, about two years ago. They said they needed me to play at a show for them and that’s when it all started.
Tyler: After the show, we talked about our dreams and goals, not only within music, but in life, and we just connected. We had the same amount of passion and it just worked out perfectly.
JC: What is the story and meaning behind the band name?
Tyler: Well, it goes back to when I was in college, studying theater at Ohio State University. We were studying All My Sons by Arthur Miller, and it was one of those books that just hit you. The main character made airplane parts for the war, and he found out that his parts were faulty and would fail if used. So he had to make a decision to spend his money trying to fix them, or to use the faulty parts. He decided to use the faulty parts, and due to his decision, 21 pilots died in flight. It showed me that every decision that you make will have great outcomes or dire consequences, and it’ll be something that will forever stick with me.
JC: Some websites label you as rock, electronic, pop or rap. But it's difficult to compare you to bands or musicians in those genres. If you had to create a new genre that would describe your music, what would it be called?
Josh: Wow, that's a tough question. It’s so hard for us to put ourselves in any genre. One of our goals as musicians was to break down the walls of musical genres and combine different aspects into our own. Our manager calls us "pop-rock-piano-rap," which fits us but is a mouthful. If you can think of one and send it to us, we'll roll with it.
JC: On your song "Time to Say Goodbye," you sample "Con te Partiró" by Andrea Bocelli and then rap over it. Could you explain what you were thinking when you did this?
Tyler: Well, I’m really tied to melody. I don’t care what genre it is, if it catches my ear, then there must be something good about it. And then listening to the lyrics, I connected to his message and combined it with mine.
JC: If you had to pick a trademark song--one that that everyone recognized--what would it be?
Josh: It would have to be "Holding Onto You" or "Ode to Sleep." "Holding Onto You" could easily be recognized with its unique rap combined with an emotional-yet-catchy bridge. And "Ode to Sleep" is the closest to us with its meaning; it's probably the most connected with us that any song could be.
JC: Are you currently signed with a label?
Josh: Currently, no. But that should change in the near future.
Tyler: We're not really interested in being signed for the most money possible. We are talking to people that will give us control of the music we make. That's the most important thing we want if we're going to sign with someone.
JC: One final question: What made you want to perform here in Athens?
Josh: Our first time here was last year at one of the fests, and at that time I wasn’t the drummer. I was called by Tyler to come and fill in because the previous drummer quit. So I quit my job and drove here straight from Wisconsin. So I got here in time for the show, and after one song, the fest was shut down by the police. I wanted to come back, redeem myself and have a successful show here.
Tyler: As he said. He quit his job for a show that got shut down after one song. So we both agreed that we would come back and perform without getting shut down. But Ohio University is a cool place all around, and we had to come back!
