TAG: Dre

Mar10

Jake One: Pro’s Tools

Kids wearing “Listen To Dilla” shirts who just got their first MPC dream of the career Jake One’s having. Out of Seattle’s late ‘90s hip-hop scene, he’s worked with all types and degrees of MCs; essentially, most anyone who’s caught wind of his beats. Big names 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes; to indie-cats Casual, Gift of Gab, Slug; to legends like De La and Dre. He just made tracks for Snoop, which he’s hoping will see the light of day, as is a cut on De La’s upcoming album, and DOOM is currently still sitting on some beats. Same with Bun B, Raekwon, M.O.P., the list is impressive as it is long. Meanwhile Jake is pushing his latest effort, another project on Rhymesayers. Along with the clever packaging, The Stimulus Package, shows Jake piecing together soulful, versatile joints for …

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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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