Bitter Belief - Isolation (Review Coming Soon)

Hey all, I am still writing the review so thought I would give you some teasers while you wait.

Check out Bitter Belief on Facebook or grab a copy of Isolation here.

Creed Birch & Rob Shaker - Alive Again (Creed Birch Interview)

Hey all, for those that haven't heard Creed Birch & Rob Shaker are releasing their album "Alive Again". I have had the opportunity to conduct a short interview with Creed Birch.

Creed Birch Interview

Can you tell me about the collaborative process with Rob Shaker?
Shaker has been one of my biggest influences and mentors in producing.We both share the same passion for the music , so collaborating with him felt like everything fell into place with ease.
Hes been a familiar face on the perth scene for many years now and has taught me alot of great things.
The album is a collaborative effort with me as an mc/producer and Shaker as a D.j. It was recorded at his house and also chekid mcs. Rob did the mixing and mastering and put alot of effort into the album ,for that i am incredibly grateful.
He is a very talented man and a great friend.

What makes a good MC to you?
Tone, flow, content, inteligence, variety, HONESTY.
Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cant put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.

Who or what influences your music the most?
I listen to alot of different kinds of music which really opens my eyes to try new things, from Royce da 5'9 to Florence and the Machine, from Karnivool to Sharon jones. My favourite Australian mcs at the moment would have to be Drapht, Solo mc (Horrorshow) and ofcourse Bitter Belief, my favourite American mcs at the moment are J Cole, Blu, Black Thought, Slaughterhouse and Pharoahe Monch just to name a few. Collectivly Rob Shaker, Dazastah, Adit, M-phazes, Suffa and Trials have influenced me a great deal on the producing side of things.As for the writing process , Bitter Belief has mentored and taken me under his wing since i was 17 , he has helped me do alot of great things and is one of my closest friends. Trying new things in music is one of my favourite parts of the experience. Ive been influenced a great deal by John Barrett who is a good friend and an amazing musician, who has taught me alot about music in general. We will be doing an album together this year sometime . My friends and family are mostly what my writing is based around as they have shared so many good and not so good moments and experiences with me throughout my life.

When is your album coming out?
The album is waiting to be picked up now, probably this Friday.

Who have you worked with for the album?
The album was originally going to be a mixtape to collaborate with alot of mcs that i consider some of perths best 
but after the recording process began Shaker and I decided to make it an album because of the quality of the music made.
Most of the production is by me besides a beat each from Rob Shaker, Taku, Paulie p and Cortext.
The album features Bitter Belief, Down South Crew, Soma, Paulie P, Chekid mc, Tal and Feuds, Sam Roberts and the amazing Sarah Pellicano from the band Pins and Ladles.

Do you have any shows coming up? 
Ive got a set at the easter launch gig at The Rosemount on the 24th of April along side some of Perths best mcs such as 
Optamus, Dazastah and Layla, Bitter Belief, The Stoops, Chekid and Cortext, Paulie p and Soma just to name a few.
as for the album launch il have to wait for shaker to return from touring with the one and only DRAPHT on his life of riley tour around Australia!!

What's your legacy? What do you want to be remembered by? 
My passion and dedication for music. I want to be heard.

Check out these tracks from the album:

Creed Birch & Rob Shaker - Losing You

Creed Birch & Rob Shaker - Shaker Intro

Make sure you check out Creed Birch on Facebook.

Drapht - The Life of Riley (Out Friday)

Hey all, Drapht's new album "The Life of Riley" is out on Friday 1st of April. Drapht has been kind enough to give us a sneak peek of one of his new tracks "On And On". If you join the mailing list you will receive the track.

Drapht - The Life Of Riley

Make sure you add Drapht on Facebook.

Trooth - United We Stand

Hey all, got a new mixtape from Trooth called "United We Stand". It features JR, Porsah Laine, Chekid MC, DT, Shroomz, BYP, Slackjaw, Dialekt, Green Gross, Ta-Ku, Lady Loca, Tektonik, Mamma Teesh and Loftee Beats. Quite a few decent tracks on here so make sure you download a copy.

Trooth - United We Stand

Make sure you check out Trooth on Facebook.

Thanatical Thusrdays Presents "The Unheard"

Hey all, got a quick interview with Ranga about the upcoming Thanatical Thursdays "The Unheard" gig at Harry's Bar on the 31st of March.

So what is this "Unheard" gig you have coming up on the 31st?
The unheard show is for artist who haven’t really got a chance to get up on stage before. Ran out of Harry’s bar in northbridge, Thanatical Thursday’s will run every fortnight. Not clashing with Launch or Mixtape (however there is one unavoidable clash)

Who will be performing on the night?

Where do I start. Probably the Top I guess. The headline act is Mx Axis & Vengence (two thirds of the freekstyles) and then we have (in no order) Dista - Omac & Wish - Freethought
Dismay - New Breed - Alias - Western Methods
Skwirt - Divine - Af Raw
Exesiv - Shock - Gunn Boy - Loftee and Anomalize

What gave you the idea to have an unheard night?

Just thought that Launch and Mixtape where in undated with guys that want a first go at the stage, Thought maybe they can earn there stripes here and go on to bigger and better stuff

What is the venue like for sound and stage size?
We are running 2 stages on the night, Inside and Outside. Stage size inside is amazing and outside is a little more intimate. Sound is right up there in class as far as im concerned
Will there be any give aways like CD's etc etc?
Hoping to have a few CD give away’s, shirts etc. There will be a 12 month Membership to Selby health and Fitness given away valued at $899
Who will be running the night?
Myself along with Harry’s Bar

Doors open at 7.30PM $5 entry cheap drinks lets have a great night!

View Larger Map

Mark yourself as attending on the Thanatical Thursdays Event Page on Facebook.

Soma - Heart Core Coming Soon

Hey all, got a quick interview with Perth artist Soma. He gives us a little insight and 3 promo tracks for his upcoming album "Heart Core".

How did you get started with Hip Hop?

I was introduced to the music through skating when I was 10 years old. I used to buy skate vids and they always had mad soundtracks with good underground hip hop and just went from there really.  I see skating and hip hop as brother and sister in a way. From there got into graff briefly but was totally whack so decided what I was doing was more vandalism than art so then eventually got into writing raps at 16 and went from there. I have been spitting 8 years this year but only developed a style I was truly happy with about 2 years ago.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Leeds in the North of England. Lived there until I was 15 then moved out to Perth with my family for a “year’s trial” and haven’t left since.

What are your musical influences?

Wow. I don’t know where to start haha. Hip hop wise it was Wu Tang, Public Enemy and Slick Rick who influenced me to start spitting. Then over the years my tastes kind of developed. Braintax was a massive influence because he was from Leeds so kind of showed me that you didn’t have to be from the states to rap and you could rap coming where I came from. A lot of UK hip hop inspired me to like Cappo, Scorzayzee, Task Force, Tommy Evans, Blak Twang, Blade, London Posse etc. Nowadays I am inspired by personal hip hop like Cage, Atmosphere, Sage Francis, Eyedea etc. I love smart lyricism that relates to my life. I don’t really like rappers who spit nice lyrics but don’t say anything with them. I take inspiration from other genres to. I like old soul, I like folk due to the story telling and even old country like Hank Williams, George Jones, and Johnny Cash for the honesty in the lyrics. I think the aggression in my style comes from listening to a lot of 80s hard-core punk and shit to, so a lot of my style comes from non-hip-hop influences, I think if you just listen to rappers  you are more likely to sound like other rappers.

What inspires you to write music?
Life experiences, literature, art in general. I get inspired by so many different things. I will read a book or see a film and it will inspire me to make a song like it. I also use films and literature to give me ideas on styles to write on certain topics. I have the Lower Class Love 2 trilogy on my album which is a 3 part story in song form. It tells the story of a relationship from the start, to the break up to the recovery and I wanted to do that in a kind of 50s film noir movie style with the imagery, so watched a lot of old films for inspiration. I do things like that a lot. Everything I write about is usually something that happened to me though. Everything I write is basically all personal. Somebody once told me I make music for down and outs and I kind of like this. 

What is your favourite album of all time?
Jesus. Fuck knows. I can’t answer this haha. There are way too many to think of so what I will do instead is tell you the albums I am playing at the moment that I am really feeling.

Jam Baxter – Rinse Out Fridays/Spack Out Mondays
Sims – Bad Time Zoo
Raven – Ravenous 2010
Contact Play – Champion Fraff

What are your goals in hip hop?
My goals are to progress and elevate really. I try to improve every time I write a song and there is always room for improvement, there is always something new to learn. The more shit I listen to the more I find what’s missing from my style. I was originally all story and personal then started listening to real technical stuff, so tried to make my bars way more technical and keep my content. Then I will hear somebodies flow and be like “Fuck I need to get my flow to that level”. I am a massive sucker for tech flows so hunt for music with tech flows and then hear it and doubt my own flow haha. Always shit to learn. Got into Jam Baxter lately and then was like fuck I need to work on my imagery more. So yeah my goal is to just get as good as I possibly can be and never stop trying to improve. The more I listen to and the more I read the more I learn, writing is a never ending process.

When is your album available and where will we be able to get it?
Album will be out in Late May/Early June. Hopefully I will be hooking up a distro deal but if not I will push it hard online and at shows. DIY styles. This album is my baby. It is called Heart Core and I have pretty much said everything I want to say on it. The main theme of the album is really me trying to get my shit together and failing then doing it then failing and figuring out why this is, why I was put on this earth, why I fuck up so much. It is kind of a roller coaster ride tale of man trying to get his life and head together.

Who have you worked on your album with?

Just crew and friends really. I only really like working with people I know and gel with. The whole thing was recorded, mixed and mastered by Rob Shaker who I consider a good mate as well as one of the best at what he does. Bipola who is my good friend from way back (I recorded my  first ever official song to one of his beats called Limb Cuttaz haha, it was some horrible horrorcore type song, and we just both seemed to progress at the same time until  we reached the level we are both at now) did all beats on the album except 4. I think his production is amazing and suits my style to a tee and the next album will be 100% Bipola. The album has also got 2 beats by the incredible Creed Birch who I think is the next M-Phazes. I got a beat by Rob Shaker who is a Perth hip hop legend and a beat by Eddy Xtrackt who gave me a beat that just blew my brains out. I didn’t want to get a ton of producers on it. I wanted to keep it minimal so I got a consistent sound. On the guest spots we have my boys from 32 Krew, Kadyelle, Thorts, Bitter Belief, Cortext and Enkhan. It is pretty much all crew and friends really.

How do you feel about the scene in Perth?
I think right now it is at a turning point. I had my first live set about 5 or 6 years ago and there were like 3 other rappers apart from SBX actually doing shit and now it is thriving. We have like loads and loads of new MC’s who are active. I think we are slowly entering a second golden era of Perth hip hop with so many releases coming out and so many constant live shows. This is the healthiest I have ever seen the scene.

Have you got any shows coming up? 
Yeah the next big one for me is April 7^th at The Rocket Room where I am having my listening party where I perform tracks from the album live. I have only just really started doing shows again after pretty much a year off to work on the album so getting my new set together. Also performing on Easter Sunday for the Launch Easter Show. Got a set  on April 9^th at Railway, April 29^th at Velvet Lounge. I am performing for the RTRFM Hip Hop Fundraiser on May 14^th at The Bird. I am Supporting Creed Birch for his album launch in a month or so and I am performing at Harrys Bar on June 9^th. I will be announcing my album launch dates soon also.

Check out these tracks from Soma.

Soma - The Mirror

Soma - Lowerclass Love 2.1

Soma - On The Road

Make sure you check out Soma on Facebook.

FREE HIP HOP NIGHT - The Railway Hotel April 9th

Hey all, if you aren't doing anything make sure you head down to The Railway Hotel in Fremantle for a FREE HIP HOP night. It will feature performances from Complete, Rukus Napalm, Sever, Soma, Original Fortune and Dista.

Mark yourself as attending on the Facebook page.

rAIZ 'THAWIZARDOFOZ' - Gameover

Hey all, got a new track from rAIZ that is free to download for the first 200 people. Check it below.

rAIZ 'THAWIZARDOFOZ' - Gameover (Featuring Paranoi, Velema, Maysa NZ and Sam)

Check out rAIZ on Facebook.

Perth City Battles 4: Ranga VS Intelekt (The Grudge Match)

Hey all, the long awaited grudge match with Ranga and Intelekt happened on the weekend. The video of it is below. There was no judging so you decide who won, feel free to comment below.

Check out Perth City Battles on Facebook.

Drapht - Sing It (low quality sorry)

Hey all, got this off YouTube but it is of the new Drapht single "Sing It". It is off his upcoming album "Life Of Riley". Check it out below.

Check Drapht out on Facebook.

Hunter & Mortar - Fear and Loathing

Hey all, been a little bit busy but managed to get some tracks from Hunter & Mortar's new album. The new album is titled "Fear and Loathing" and I've got 3 tracks available below.

"Two of Perths veteran MC's from the mighty Syllabolix Crew combine to deliver probably the most outstanding foray into rap music in recent history. Never have two artists battled against such overwhelming odds and risen above all expectation, low as they may be, to shine like two beacons of hope in a world full of disappointment and blandness passed off as original music. They are to be held in the greatest of esteems and heralded as the second coming of rap. Ressurected Messianic figures who bring joy to the masses, wisdom to the unenlightened, hope to the hopless and on occasion booze to the party, but dont count on it. In fact you can disregard the last statement. Or maybe not. Now about the ether.......

Album Featuring: Hilltop Hoods, Layla, Graphic, Dazastah, Optamus, Flash One and cuts by Defyre.
Release Date: 6th May through Clandestien Productions and distributed by Obese Records"

Hunter & Mortar - Take Me Away

Hunter & Mortar - More Pills (Featuring Flash One)

Hunter & Mortar - When Im Drunk

Make sure you check out Hunter & Mortar on Facebook.

69 Records Dark T-Shirt Perth Underground

Hey all a new T-Shirt is available at The Perth Underground Store. 69 Records Dark T-Shirt Perth Underground

Coin, Pronto & Delirious - Elevator Music

Hey all, got a new track from Coin, Pronto & Delirious called "Elevator Music". They are releasing a new mixtape track every Monday so stay tuned for more.

Coin, Pronto & Delirious - Elevator Music

Check out Coin (with The Stoops) on Facebook.

Divine & Solitary - Oh No

Hey all, peep this track from Divine & Solitary. It is called Oh No and is available below.

Divine & Solitary - Oh No

Check out Solitary on Facebook.

Activism - Sweet 16

Hey all, got a new one from Activism. It is called Sweet 16. Grab it below.

Activism - Sweet 16

Check out The New Breed on Facebook.

Bitter Belief - Who Would Want Me Dead (Featuring Dazastah & Drapht)

Hey all, check out this track from Bitter Belief off his album "Isolation". His album is available now so hit him up for a copy.

Check out Bitter Belief on Facebook.

Porsah Laine - Feel This (Featuring Chekid MC) LIVE @ Off The Rails

Hey all, check this video of Porsah Laine and Chekid @ Off The Rails.

Check out Porsah Laine on Facebook.

Sound Magnetiks Tee's

Hey all, check these Tee's available from Sound Magnetiks. They are for sale at The Eastern Hotel from 8pm. $20 each.

Check out Sound Magnetiks on Facebook.

Complete - Come Get Pissed With Me

Hey all, make sure you check out this new one from Complete. Dope track about getting pissed, #WINNING.

Complete - Come Get Pissed With Me

EDIT: Check it on YouTube below.

Check out Complete on Facebook.

Bryte MC with Dazastah & Layla - Tits and Balls (LIVE)

Hey all, check out this new video from Bryte MC with Dazastah & Layla. It is of the track "Tits and Balls" and was filmed at Off The Rails.

Check out Dazastah on Facebook.

The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) & JSquared - STOOPSQUARED

Hey all, the new album from The Stoops has been released and it is available below. The album is from The Stoops and features production from JSquared.

The Stoops & JSquared - STOOPSQUARED

Check out The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) on Facebook.

Trooth - Got It Like That

Hey all, got a new track from Trooth on YouTube. Check it below.

Check out Trooth on Facebook.

Knowledge Bones - Black Dundee Vol. 1

Hey all, if you don't have this yet from Knowledge Bones grab it below.

Knowledge Bones - Black Dundee Vol. 1

Check out Knowledge Bones on Facebook.

Real Talk Battles present: MC Stiff VS Shock

Hey all, got a video from Real Talk Battles featuring WA MC Shock. Check it below.

Check out Perth City Battles on Facebook.

The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) - Spotlight

Hey all, another track from The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) from their upcoming album. They have a show at The Bird tomorrow night so if you are around make sure you get down there and show support for some dope Perth Hip Hop.

The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) - Spotlight

Check out The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) on Facebook.

Drapht - Falling (Live @ The Villa Rapunzel Tour 2010)

Hey all, got a snippet from the Drapht show at The Villa late last year during his Rapunzel Tour.

Check out Drapht on Facebook.

Defyre, Paulie P, Bitter Belief, Cortext, Adam Crook and Leonidis with Dazastah on the cut

Hey all, got a video from Launch. Check it out below.

Check out Launch on Facebook.

The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) - Right Time

Hey all, got another track off The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) called Right Time. They are playing at The Bird this Friday night so if you can get down there grab a copy of the album.

The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) - Right Time

Check out The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) on Facebook.

The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) - Bucket List

Hey all, got a new track from The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) called Bucketlist. You can peep it below on Bandcamp.

The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) - Bucketlist

Make sure you check out The Stoops (aka Stoop Fresh) on Facebook.

Perth City Battles 3: Dazer VS Freethought

Hey all, another one from Perth City Battles 3. Check it below.

Also got an update from Red.

Check out Perth City Battles on Facebook.

6056 Entertainment Presents... "Street Dreams"

Monday can be an utter C-word, and Tuesday ain’t much better. Thusly, we bringin’ to the 'burbs some relief in the form of D-D-DOPE Hip Hop to brighten your work week!

6056 Entertainment Presents: STREET DREAMS
With performances from Kadyelle, Soma, Archey Moses & hip hop band Escape Artist.
WHERE: The Eastern Hotel, Great Eastern Hwy, Midland
COST: $5 at the door
(Please note due to unforseen circumstances, Thorts won’t be performing on the night)

Perth City Battles: Content VS Black Poet

Hey all, I missed this one when it came out so I thought I better post it.

Check out Perth City Battles on Facebook.

Chekid MC - Part 2

Hey all, if you scroll down you can see part one of this series.

Check out Phat Rich Records on Facebook.

Mixtape Thursdays

Hey all, this month marks the beginning of Mixtape Thursdays @ The Newport Hotel Fremantle. This is a HUGE occasion for Perth Hip Hop so make sure you get down and support a massive line up. March features performances from Tektonik, Trooth, Black Poet, DT & Soma. Not one to miss guys to add it to the calender.

Make yourself as attending on Facebook.

Champion Music Tour Promo Vid

Hey all, got a promo vid for the Champion Music tour coming up from Chekid. Peep it below.

Check out Phat Rich Records on Facebook.

The Freakz of The Nature - Live Tomorrow Night!!

The Freakz of The Nature (Per/Syd), are back for their first show in 2011 supporting Simplex (SA/Terra Firma/Obese) for his WA album launch.

The Perth/Sydney based electro hip hoppers are promoting their current single ‘Thoughts In My Head’, which is available to download now for free from their recently launched new website at www.thefreakz.com

While over in WA, The Freakz of The Nature will be finalizing the mixdown for their debut album, ‘2000Zen’ which is due for release later this year. And hey… if there’s still some time left over, they might even shoot a music video as well.

Last seen live supporting Arrested Development in their Perth show a couple of years back, followed by their single launch late last year, this will be only the 2^nd chance so far to hear the all new set based off the 2000Zen album, all delivered in classic Freakz energetic style.

As well as headliner Simplex (feat. Madcap & MC Motion), also playing on the night are Defyre (feat. DJ Dazastah), Paulie P, Alonzo, DJs Jamu & LStreet. This jam packed night all goes down this Thursday March 3^rd at The Rocket Room, Northbridge, from 8pm. Entry is $10 before 8:30pm and $15 there after.

About The Freakz of the Nature:

To say it's been a long time coming would be an understatement. The Freakz of The Nature formed back in 1996 before Australian hip hop was in the mainstream. Featuring Optimystic as an MC and Krazie Kraze also as an MC but also providing production, they were joined by their 3rd member, Illuminousity in 2002. In 2004 they released their 6 track EP 'Artistic Integrity' featuring the single Futuristic Mystics which scored itself a place in the Triple J Unearthed WA final selection.

Many gigs and a couple of years later saw Optimystic and Illuminousity move to Sydney and the members focus on solo projects. In 2009 they started recording what would be surprisingly, their debut album '2000Zen'.

2000Zen see's Krazie Kraze step away from production and introduce two new producers. Perhaps what may be called a concept album, the album is split into two halves "2000" and "Zen".

The 2000 side has 5 tracks produced by Loftee, an up-tempo electro/dubstep/dance influenced slice of hip hop.

The Zen side has 5 songs produced by Max Taylor. This side being a more darker and down-tempo trip hop influenced side.

This equals the sort of album you should expect from The Freakz of The Nature, a massively diverse collection of songs, all while still maintaining it's roots in hip hop, with everything from a special feature by Speech from legendary US hip hop act Arrested Development in one song, to a paranoid opera vocal wailing away in the chorus and verses of another. There's of course a few party style jams amongst the mostly politically and conscious rap style verses that have been typical of The Freakz past.

Check out The Freakz of The Nature on Facebook.

The Stoops - Album Launch

Hey all, just a reminder that The Stoops and JSquared are releasing their album on March 11th 2011. They have given us a small promo video so make sure that you head down and check them out at The Bird if you can.

Check out The Stoops on Facebook.

Perth City Battles 3: Shock VS Cortext

Hey all, I can't believe I missed the battles again!! This video is Shock VS Cortext so check it below.

Check out Perth City Battles on Facebook.