TAG: Blacksmith Records

Jan24

Talib Kweli, Gutter Rainbows (Review)

Talib Kweli

Gutter Rainbows

Released by Javotti Media/3D/Blacksmith


Turn-of-the-year releases are generally greeted with a semi-yawn. With the dust of a phenomenal music year still settling, industry trailblazer Talib Kweli has set his sites on the tricky first quarter burn. His first album free from the constraints of any label directives but his own, Talib seems to be coasting just a bit on this cut-and-paste session. As in, from a pure musical standpoint, outside of a few of repeat-worthy tracks, Gutter Rainbows, is no cure for your current cabin fever.

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Nov29

IAMISEE, Threes (MP3)

The Nature Of The Triple Threat 

The days of pure artistry may in fact be more numbered than the staying power of The Invisible Hand theory. Art for it’s own sake is a theoretical beauty but in practice it is one ugly bird. Ask any veteran songwriter, producer or lyricist who still puts quality and message first in their craft what it’s like to sell entertainment with integrity and they will kindly kill you softly with a “don’t be mad but UPS ain’t hiring either…”

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Feb01

Strong Arm Steady: The Post-Gangsta Era

Bringing back the West Coast Sound with two records in one year 

Emerging from a time when West Coast rap went into deep hibernation, Strong Arm Steady has worked over the past seven years to help California not only reclaim its rightful title as the hip-hop capital of the world, but also to redefine its signature sound.  Krondon, Phil Da Agony, and Mitchy Slick, all witnesses to the rise and fall of Death Row, seek to breathe new life into the West Coast rap movement, infusing their creativity, open-mindedness, and musical prowess into the medium and refusing to fall prey to the unfortunate, ubiquitous “gangsta” stereotypes that have come to characterize the scene.  With two albums due out this year–the Madlib-produced In Search of Stoney Jackson and the decidedly more streamlined Arms & Hammers–Strong Arm Steady is set to remind music listeners that SoCal is just as musically vibrant as it was during the pre-Schwarzenegger days.

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