BIG THINGS TOMORROW!!!!

As you probably know by now, we have a big show tomorrow night at the Triple Rock as presented by The Current.   Ill Chemistry, MPLS Dub Ensemble and DJ Bill Caperton are lined up to open.  There are 2 shows.

Confirmed special guests for our set:
Desdamona, Bill Caperton, Dessa, New MC, Danami, Lioness, Mastermind of G.O.B.

5pm – ALL AGES

9PM – 21+

Presale  tickets available at 5th Element(http://www.fifthelementonline.com/) , Triple Rock (http://triplerocksocialclub.com/) and Indietickets (http://www.indietickets.com/tickets/customer/home.php)

NOTE – 21+ PRESALE TICKETS AT 5TH ELEMENT ARE ALMOST SOLD OUT AS OF 12/24.

Heiruspecs is in the press at the moment….

The Onion calls Small Steps the best of the decade here:
http://www.avclub.com/twincities/articles/the-decade-in-local-music-2002,36271/

Also, we’re in the Star Tribune in a story where they feel we’re still the kink of the live band/hip-hop hill in the Twin Cities.  Thanks!
http://www.vita.mn/event_detail.php?event_id=86185&elr=KArksD:aDyaEP:kD:aUt:aDyaEP:kD:aUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU5PaEk:1cuU

and…………………………

It’s a holiday for many of you so I’ll keep this one short.  Here’s a video of us playing at Sauce Soundbar a few months back.  Good times.

In a recent interview, the Minneapolis-born MC, Dessa, and MC Pig Pen of Salt Lake City comment on the way women are treated in the world of hip-hop. They touch on self-esteem, scantily-clad groupies, and how being in the rap game can affect your relationships. When asked if they think hip-hop stands behind equal rights for women, they both communicate their doubts, mentioning how there are VERY few female CEOs in the business.

Entrepreneurship goes beyond gender lines- step it up ladies!

http://grungecake.com/2009/12/23/grungecake%E2%80%99s-interview-with-recording-artists-mc-pig-pen-and-dessa-by-kosha-dillz/

doomtree’s queen is preppin’ the release of her debut album, a badly broken code, which comes as one of 2010’s first anticipated releases. here’s the first song/single, “dixon’s girl,” which is sounding pretty fucking good right now. preorder the new album and headover to bandcamp and download the song for free.

preorder/download:

dessa – dixon’s girl

-grizzly

“Preorder Dessa’s new full-length album, A Badly Broken Code, to get a signed copy of the disc delivered by January 19. Fans who pre-order will also get exclusive access to a live broadcast of Dessa’s rehearsal for her CD release show. You’ll be able to preview music from the album, listen to singers interpret the songs, and even send in your questions to Dessa and the other musicians.A Badly Broken Code is the long-awaited full-length album from Dessa. The disc features production from Paper Tiger, Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter, MK Larada, and Big Jess. The fifteen songs emphasize Dessa’s wingspan as a singer, rapper, and lyricist—the tracks range from melancholy a cappella arrangements to vintage torch songs to infectious rap cuts.”

Hit the image for downloading the single.

Info: 2DB

This Saturday at First Ave in Minneapolis, Doomtree is performing and releasing their 3rd collaborative album, False Hopes XV. I can’t wait for this show, it’s a blessing to a have such a unique group embodying the truth of real hip hop. I will write a follow-up to this post after the show but I would really like to encourage you, if you appreciate independent music at all, to check these guys out and/or come to this show. Not only are they local artists from our Mpls-community, but they are a new sound that everyone can appreciate – basically I’m saying it’s not just rap. If you are interested in going, let me know. I’ve never been to one of their blowouts (when the whole crew performs) before, but I hear that they sellout, that’s why I already got my ticket!

peace, kev.

DOOMTREE! This Spiderman guy gets some good guests/interviews on the regular, and this is one of them!

Check underneath for the freestyles…

Foto divulgação

Foto divulgação

Ficha técnica:

Wagnão: Vocal
Baltazar: Vocal
Dessa e Negra San: Backing vocals:
Véio: Trompete
Claudinho: Contra Baixo
Mia: Bateria
Sandro: Guitarra
Manu: Percussão

Produção artística: Joy Izauri 11 5897 7038 / 7638 6107

E-mails: bandapretosoul@gmail.com / izajoyproducoes@gmail.com  

Clique aqui e acesse o My Space da Banda Preto Soul

Mais informações do show pelo telefone: 11 5514 6332
100 Jabá Web Rádio:

Flyers no link eventos do site http://www.100jaba.com
Equipe 100 Jabá Web Rádio
Música Independente para Ouvidos Independentes
http://www.100jaba.com
http://www.myspace.com/100jaba

Parque de Guarapiranga

Endereço: Avenida Guarapiranga, 575 – Capela do Socorro – São Paulo – SP.
Como chegar >>  
Telefones: 11 5514 6332.
Atendimento: segunda a domingo das 06h00 às 18h00.
Site:
E-mail:
Obs.:

Programação sujeita à alteração, antes de sair de casa confirme datas e horários.

Postado por Tadeu Loppara 

VEJA MAIS DICAS NOS SITE É GRÁTIS.

Oi Pessoas, td bem!??

Entao, segunda, dia 13/07 foi aniver da Dessa, tentamos confirmar a info por telefo, mas nao conseguimos, para nao cometer uma gafe não colocamos nada aqui!

Mas Dessa, antes tarde do que nunca…. queremos lhe desejar as mais ricas bencaos de Deus sobre sua vida, que ele dirija sua vida, como esposa, mulher, em nova cidade!!!  Felicidades mil! Hoje o Blog a homenagem é pra você!

Estamos ansiosos pela chegada de vocês no nosso meio!

Bjocas a todos!!!

Me going nuts when Pharcyde dropped "Raise It Up" in tribute to Jay Dee

As you can see by the picture I look like I am in a great mood. That’s because I was outstandingly over-joyed all day on Saturday in Shakopee, MN at Soundset 2009. I really couldn’t have asked for much more the entire day. My camera died roughly an hour and a half into the show (thanks to Erik for the pictures as well as other people on Flickr) and I ended up looking like a lobster from sunburn, but it was all worth it to be at this show. Even though this show was on the first weekend of summer, I can guarantee that this show will be the highlight of my entire summer.

The first show of the day I went to was I Self Devine who I was not super familiar with, but knew some of his background. I have to admit that I was very impressed by his performance and I can’t wait until his new album drops on RSE later this year. He had a lot of energy on stage, which in my opinion is absolutely key when it comes to an all day Hip-Hop festival.

I Self Devine taking a quick breather during one of his songs

Blueprint was next, and boy was I in for one hell of a surprise. I am probably one of the biggest Soul Position fans there is, and when I found out Rjd2 wasn’t coming I was a little disappointed. Let me tell you that Rj not being there made no difference whatsoever. Blueprint went on stage at Soundset and completely ripped the microphone to shreds going through tracks like “1988″ & “Tramp”. My favorite part of his set, though, was when he busted out “Drugs, Sex, Alcohol, Rock-N-Roll” from the Soul Position album Things Go Better With RJ & Al. After seeing Blueprint at Soundset, I look forward to seeing Print no matter who he performs with.

Print preaching to the crowd during his set

Print spitting his heart out on "1988"

"Drugs, Sex, Alcohol, Rock-N-Roll"

The next show I saw was Abstract Rude (who brought along Aceyalone & Myka 9) who I’ve been trying to get into lately. He put on a pretty good show, and when Aceyalone & Myka 9 hit the stage the energy really started to rise. These 3 guys together are a great group and it shows they are all highly influenced by each other when they are together.

Abstract Rude, Photo Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

Haiku D'Etat, Photo Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

Before this show, I had been waiting about 4 years to see Eyedea & Abilities. I missed them at last year’s Soundset and hand’t been able to make it to Minneapolis for a show when there was another opportunity. I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to this show. The dynamic between these two is absolutely amazing and seeing them play classic cuts like “Star Destroyer”, “E&A Day”, as well as cuts off of the upcoming album By The Throat was nothing short of fantastic. It was also great seeing Eyedea give the stage to DJ Abilities so that he could display his amazing techniques on the wheels of steel.

Eyedea adressing the crowd

Eyedea spitting on Star Destroyer, Courtesy of Erik Burg

DJ Abilities tearing up the tables, Courtesy of Erik Burg

Immortal Technique is another guy that I was really looking forward to seeing live. I had heard so many good things from people that had seen him. I would have to say that Immortal Technique probably emitted the most energy out of anybody on stage the entire day of Soundset. Hearing Tech spit songs like “Point Of No Return”, “Industrial Revolution”, “Obnoxious” & other classics was incredible, not to mention that his speeches to the crowd made me (and probably others) feel like fucking some shit up. I feel like chances are, everytime this guy performs, everyone in the crowd walks away moved by his highly emotional & energetic performances. Immortal Technique is someone that everyone should see once in their life.

Immortal Technique Spitting "Point of No Return", Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

Immortal Spitting "Obnoxious", Courtesy of Erik Burg

With the bar already set very high, the show kept moving. Hometown hero P.O.S. was next to perform on the mic and he put on a great show with local DJ Plain Ole Bill (who if I do say so myself, is a great DJ). He performed some of the great cuts off of his new album Never Better such as “Let It Rattle”, “Goodbye”, “Savion Glover” & “Optimist”. He also performed one of my favorite tracks off of Audition, “P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life” while telling the crowd to sing as loud as they could for his mother. The highlight of Stef’s set however (as Erik mentioned in his post) was “Low Light Low Life” when he brought out Dessa & Sims of Doomtree to bring their verses to life onstage.

P.O.S. performing "Savion Glover" Courtesy of Erik Burg

Plain Ole' Bill & P.O.S. rocking Soundset, Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

Sims, Dessa & Stef, Courtesy of Erik Burg

Since I missed most of Sage Francis due to the fact that my face was already hotter than the sun from sunburn, El-P (with TMQ & Mr. Dibbs) was the next show that I was able to catch. I’ve seen El-P once before already and I knew that he was going to put on a great show for the crowd, but I had no idea it would be this good. He started out his set with my favorite track “Tasmanian Pain Coaster” off of his most recent album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, which may have been the loudest performance of the day. He then continued through more of his catalogue: “Smithereens”, “Overly Dramatic Truth”, “Deep Space 9mm” & etc. At the end of his set he reminded us all of Camu Tao, who had passed away one year previously due to a fight with lung cancer. All I can say is Camu would have loved to have been there. The most amazing part, however, was when Mr. Dibbs took over on the turntables with his baby head routine that I had seen once previously. Dibbs stole the show with his turntable antics.

"Tasmanian Pain Coaster", Courtesy of Erik Burg

Mr. Dibbs & El-P, Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

El hyping the crowd with "Smithereens"

After El-P came Freeway & Jake One. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from these guys, but I didn’t know it would be this good. Freeway went through some tracks from the Rocafella days as well as tracks he was featured on from Jake One’s White Van Music. They also decided to bust out some new material from their upcoming Rhymesayer’s release The Stimulus Package. Let me tell you right now, The Stimulus Package is an album you are not going to want to sleep on people. These two have some really fucking good chemistry.

Freeway getting ready to go onstage, Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

Freeway on "Line em' Up", Courtesy of Erik Burg

We actually left this set a little bit early so we could catch Southern favorites, CunninLynguists. We got over to the Fifth Element Stage to catch Cunnin’, and immediately I get a message from Erik saying “DOOM is a no show”. I started laughing hysterically and blazed what seemed like my third or fourth joint of the day because I knew I was about to see one of the best shows of the entire day. I was right in every aspect because Kno, Natti & Deacon fucking tore up the Fifth Element stage. All three of them have so much energy with the stage, and at the same time they are so interactive with the crowd. They went through a diverse set from their catalog: “Old School”, “KKKY”, “The South” and more. I can tell you that I honestly didn’t want the show to end at all. I look forward to seeing these guys many times in the future.

Kno, Natti & Deacon rocking the crowd, Courtesy of Kyle Konczal

CunninLynguists going "Old School", Courtesy of Kyle Konczal

CunninLynguists bringing "The South" to Soundset, Courtesy of Kyle Konczal

After the CunninLynguists set, we were actually able to catch about half of the Brother Ali/BK One set because they got pushed up. I’ve seen Brother Ali a few times and I know that he puts on an amazing show. I was able to catch the tracks “Good Lord” & “Forest Whitiker” and Ali was on top form with these tracks. Ali is one of those guys that just has a persona about him, his aura just emanates off of the stage and everyone absorbs it. He really puts on a great show no matter when you see him.

Brother Ali & Slug performing "The Believers", Courtesy of Erik Burg

Brother Ali spitting "Good Lord", Courtesy of Erik Burg

While I was watching Brother Ali, I got a tweet from Rhymesayers that DOOM was in the house. I was a bit apprehensive at first because of all of the bullshit that this guy has pulled in the past. It literally took (the first) DOOM what seemed like 30 minutes to take the stage. I was literally getting pissed, but then I heard the “Benzie Box” beat and my head started to nod immediately. After the first track there was some typical bullshit going down on stage, making it look like DOOM had to leave the show. Just when you though it was over… the real DOOM took the stage and went through a decent amount of his catalog. “Gazillion Ear” in my opinion was definitely the highlight for me, nothing like hearing DOOM over a Dilla beat, especially live. I have to say though, I agree with my man Aaron & the homie Blueprint… DOOM’s show kinda blows, I’d rather hear him on an album. I understand that DOOM has a certain nostalgia about him and that’s what a lot of people love about him, I just don’t buy into it. PLEASE do not take this as me dissing DOOM, he makes incredible music, he’s just an average performer.

"Gazillion Ear", Courtesy of Erik Burg

SUPER!, Courtesy of Erik Burg

The Pharcyde was something that I was definitely looking forward to a great deal. They were insanely pivotal to the West Coast scene and they re-united for this show. I’m not up on their catalog as much as I should be, but they rocked the shit out of the main stage. I would say they were definitely one of the top acts of the day. It seemed like everyone in the crowd was feeling them. They started things off with the classic “Runnin’” and continued down the line with classics one every song they performed. They even broke down into the classic Slum Village track “Raise It Up” in memory of their late friend J Dilla. As mentioned in the top picture of my post, I went absolutely nuts because I fucking love Jay Dee.

The Pharcyde "Runnin" shit on the main stage

"RAISE IT UP!", Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

It seemed like the day was about over, but no Soundset would be complete without hometown favorites Slug & Ant. These two were arguably the crowds favorite, and I would put money on over half of the people being there just to see them. They went through your pretty typical array of Atmosphere songs, “Godlovesugly”, “Shoulda Known”, “Trying To Find a Balance”, “Sunshine” & etc. They finished with the fan-favorite-karaoke-jam “Always Coming Back Home To You” with the vast majority of the crowd singing along with Slug. These two really know how to put on a show for a hometown crowd with no disappointment what so ever.

Slug is "Trying to Find a Balance", Courtesy of Erik Burg

Ant on the wheels of steel, Courtesy of Erik Burg

Slug rocking the hometown crowd, Courtesy of Rhymesayers Entertainment: www.flickr.com/photos/rhymesayers

Soundset 2009 is one of the best musical experiences I have ever had. It was everything I could have asked for and more. Rhymesayers Entertainment knows how to throw one hell of a Hip-Hop festival, and I can guarantee you I will be on tickets right away for the next Soundset. Make sure you watch out the rest of this year, Rhymesayers has some big things coming up and I know you won’t want to miss them. I know you are probably sick of me rambling on about this show so I will end the post now, hopefully you enjoyed reading about my experience half as much I enjoyed writing about it.

Vanessa at Feministing asks for some female MCs and I wanted to add my two cents. Way too often women who can really rap get stuck in supporting roles in the songs we get to hear. There’ll be that moment when you think, “wait, who was that, go back to her,” but the song has already moved on. Vanessa brings up M.I.A. who, although she can get any given group of hipsters busting imaginary shots at birds flying overhead, is not really hip-hop. Here are some female MCs who don’t get nearly the attention they deserve:

- Byata who  was on a track on Wu-Tang Clan Meets the Indie Culture and Bronze Nazareth’s severely underrated album The Great Migration. Her story is pretty incredible and everyone should go read it on her site in the biography section while you listen to her music.
- Jean Grae who’s probably the best-known of the three, with a couple of her own albums. She’s done tracks with too many people to list and her forthcoming album (titled Phoenix for all you X-Men fans) is being produced by the excellent 9th Wonder.
- Last but not least is my personal favorite Dessa who has yet to record her own full-length album. She’s a member of the Minneapolis-based Doomtree Collective, has a new book of poetry and has the best verse on the best track of my favorite album of the year – P.O.S.’s Never Better which is embedded at the bottom because it’s just that good. She started out doing spoken-word and lists among her influences Dave Eggers and Lauryn Hill. A girl after my own heart no doubt. Plus she raps about the financial crisis. Seriously, check that P.O.S. track.

So here’s to getting the best female MC’s in the game out of the supporting roles and into the limelight.

Recently my musical infatuation has recently turned towards Doomtree, a group of rappers from Minnesota. I would make a post telling you to listen to them but then I stumbled upon this video.

The woman with the short brown hair who is the main focus of this is Dessa. She is a spoken word poet turned rapper, and part of Doomtree. The two other women join her to create the a capella group The Boy Sopranos.

I think I may buy spiral bound, dessa’s new book, and if I do I will probably making a post demanding you do the same once I read it.
If you’ve got time on your hands watch the whole video, if not just skip to 5:00 cause that songs awesome. I defy you to watch it and not fall in love.

For February’s music update, click here.

March has brought me some fantastic new cuts, and several blasts from the past that I hadn’t heard before, making them new to me. I will say that I downloaded The Jackson’s “Blame it On the Boogie” which is simply sublime. But through 56 new songs, including an album that won’t be released until next month, March was good for music. I’m almost sad to see it end, until I remember that once it does, I get to start all over again with April…

Dessa, False Hopes: Released in 2005, False Hopes is a 5 song EP from Dessa (@dessadarling) of Doomtree. Why write about a 2005 release as “new music?” Well, have you given this EP a listen yet? While short in length, this EP is huge on style and poignant, introspective lyrics against musically gripping backdrops. “551″ looks at an addictive and damaging relationship over a dark beat laced with piano. Throughout the album, Dessa mixes her vocal talent with her rapping and slam poetry background to great effect. “Mineshaft” utilizes an urgent string backing and heavy drum beat to accentuate the sense of loss in the song. Many of the lyrics focus on a central theme of personal loss (“The list of things I used to be is longer than the list of things I am,” “I lost an octave to the Camel Lights”) and they’re delivered with such intensity that her personal experiences become visceral for the listener. “Kites” delivers an eerie underwater feeling that brings to mind the melancholy feeling I first heard on listening to Atmosphere’s “God’s Bathroom Floor.” Through just 5 solo songs and her contributions to Doomtree, Dessa rivals P.O.S. in her passion and creativity on this album, and one can only hope that her poetry, lyrics and music gain the public recognition that they deserve. Don’t Sleep On: “Mineshaft,” “551,” “Kites.”

Kero One, Early Believers: This man does it all out of his self-run label, Plug, in the Bay Area. DIY in every sense of the word, Kero One plays his own instruments, makes his own beats, writes his own lyrics, produces and mixes his own songs and then created a label to self-distribute. For the full review of his sophomore release, Early Believers, set to drop April 7th, click here. Don’t Sleep On: “This Life Ain’t Mine,” “Welcome to the Bay,” and “On and On.”

N.A.S.A., The Spirit of Apollo: The idea behind this collaboration album is bringing North American hip-hop together with South American beats and influences to create a cultural mash-up album with global appeal. And for the most part, the odd pairings of guest artists along with the sample heavy and culturally defiant music does the trick. As hip-hop laced with world music continues to gain traction on radio airwaves and popularity among listeners, it comes as no surprise that artists with a broad fan base such as Kanye West, Tom Waits and George Clinton were willing to contribute. Other international artists got in on the act too, with Santogold, Lykke Li and Seu Jorge joining the fray.

If there’s one drawback to this album, it’s that some of the songs come off as too packaged, relying more on the featured names than on the music itself. “Spacious Thoughts” featuring Tom Waits and Kool Keith is interesting, but forces too much of a juxtaposition between the rapper and the singer, leaving the transition from verse to chorus feeling fractured. If you’re into heavy, crunchy dance tracks, “Whachadoin?” feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santogold and Nick Zinner is dense with bass and electronic flourishes, but a bit repetitive. Of course, where the songs are on, they’re on. DJ Qbert and Del tha Funkee Homosapien rip “Samba Soul,” the beat perfectly capturing Del’s sense of pace and timing, and “Gifted,” the track with Kanye, Lykke Li and Santogold has almost instant club appeal with grimy effects offset by a starry and airy video game tone sequence in the background. For the most part, N.A.S.A. plays like a who’s who of guest stars where the sum total of the music falls short of the artists involved, but on a handful of songs, the desire for North to meet South in interesting ways comes through. Don’t Sleep On: “Samba Soul” featuring Del Tha Funkee Homosapien and DJ Qbert, “Money” featuring David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge and Z-Trip, and “Gifted” featuring Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart: After a 2007 EP release, PoBP@H released this debut self-titled effort in February on Slumberland records. The initial offering finds the group exploring the various genres of Indie Rock, Shoegaze and Sugar Punk and the spaces between them. The band utilizes a variety of sounds to evoke different moods, not shying away from using both electric and acoustic guitars depending on the song, and descending into lo-fi static where necessary. The lyrics seem less important to the songs than the contribution the singing melody lends the tunes and the drums remain consistent throughout to lend the backbone to a group that alternates between sulking and exulting. In some places, 80’s influences sneak through, “The Tenure Itch” being a song that could have easily made the Donnie Darko soundtrack. But whether they’re soft or hard, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart remain effusive in their energy, bringing a sense of urgency and drive to every song that keeps the album moving. Don’t Sleep On: “Stay Alive,” “This Love is F*****g Right!” and “A Teenager in Love.”

Indiefeed Hip-Hop: Dirt E. Dutch from Indiefeed (@dutchman) brought out some more stellar cuts this month, but one of my favorite, Dutch’s “Welcome to the World Kayla Vivien!” is a smooth and mellow instrumental affair to celebrate the birth of his daughter that was actually put out in February. Finale’s Black Milk remixed track “One Man Show” moves with low-end bass touches and high-end electronic agility while B Real’s “Don’t You Dare Laugh” uses an interesting interpolation of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner.” All in all, a positive showing this month.

The next few months are looking solid for new music releases, so keep it tuned.

Nya blundrar av Malmö-bussförare. Denna gången av bussbolaget Arriva. Det är dom som försöker sköta trafiken på bla buss 4 till/fr Klagshamn. Så Veolia försöker sköta trafiken med att köra ifrån så många passagerare som möjligt och Arriva med och få in en fullträff i diket. “Efter avslutad tur tog chauffören en genväg och fastnade” jaha, så bråttom som dom här Malmö-förarna har är det ju inte konstigt om somliga av dom struntar i om dom kör i från sina passagerare heller. Och Skånetrafiken? Som väntat bara axelrykningar för denna här attityden och service nivån? Har dom slutat ställa krav på bolagen? Ja tydligen. Men men, denna bristande kompetensen, det tar den fria konkurrensen säkert hand om nästa år! Tack och lov för att dom äntligen ska få konkurrens nu.

Redigerad 2009/02/02 kl 01:00

—

Tänkte på en sak igår. När man längtar så mycket efter semestern, att man nästan glömmer bort att leva i nuet. Antingen ser man långt fram i tiden, eller så är man nostalgisk. Varför är det så svårt? När man var liten var man kung på att leva i nuet. Men någonting hände. Kanske lär vi oss att bry oss för mycket om hur vi ska planera vår framtid. Jag ska försöka förbättra min nutid.

Here’s a big happy new year shout-out to all you readers out there from the Too Old crew.  Today’s jam is one of my current favorite songs.  This little tune can be found on the new Doomtree album (no, not the metal band, the hip hop crew from Minnesota).  While that whole album is fierce, this particular track is one I’ve enjoyed long before the album came out.  I saw this fly chica perform at the Bottom of the Hill a couple of years ago and after her set my sister slapped her on the ass and told her I was buying her a drink (which I did).  To close out 2008, today’s jam is Dessa with “Sadie Hawkins.”  Enjoy…

When I posted the Lily Allen joint earlier someone in the c-section said that I must have a crush. If I we’re to have a crush on someone in the music industry it would have to be Dessa (pictured above for the slow folk). The lone female reppin’ Doomtree! Voice, flow, lyrics, image, etc. She has it all. And she joins the St. Paul, Minnesota group for a joint off their self titled release, Heiruspecs.

DOWNLOAD: Heiruspecs – Change is Coming f. Dessa & New MC | Mediafire
BONUS: Heiruspecs – Broken Record f. I Self Devine | Mediafire

The song of today comes from a hip hop crew from Minnesota that I’ve been repping for the last few years. They consist of several solo acts that I’ve seen individually (POS, Dessa, etc.) but I’ve never actually seen them perform as a crew. Their most recent, self-titled album came out this past summer and was off the chains. Today’s song: Doomtree’s “Game Over”
Enjoy…

Doomtree

For anyone who hasn’t heard of Doomtree, they bring a variety of MCs and DJs to the table in what has become a comfortable and exciting collaboration of individuals exploring how to produce and expand new hip-hop while pulling from other musical genres and multiple rapping styles. Doomtree demonstrates the potential that is created when numerous artists, most from seemingly disparate backgrounds, get together to create something new and different. Last week I had the opportunity to chat with P.O.S. and Mike Mictlan of Doomtree about their style, the idea behind the group, and of course politics. Enjoy.

AC: Hey, this is POS and Mike on the line?
POS: Yea.
MM: This is Mike.
AC: How you guys doing? Where you at today?
POS: Minneapolis, 32nd right off of Hennepin
MM: Minneapolis, Minnesota, Park and Franklin.

AC: What’s the general hip-hop scene like in Minnesota? People are starting to hear the name Doomtree and before that Atmosphere was real big. What are some other artists?
POS: For the most part, as far as hip-hop, it’s very diverse and large scene aside from Atmosphere and Doomtree, we’ve got Brother Ali, Self Divine, Kill the Vultures on some avant hip-hop, it can go on and on. It’s one of those cities that no matter where you’re at, any night of the week you can find a hip-hop show, and chances are three out of four will be decent. What do you think Mike?
MM: I could go on and on with that list. I’ve got a lot of favorite rappers out here, the scene is very thick in terms of hip-hop and music in general. Not only can you find hip-hop three nights a week, but you can find a lot of genres.
POS: Any number of punk rock, metal, hardcore, indie rock, pop, anything you’re looking for.

AC: You guys are obviously MCs, but there’s a lot of other musical genres and tastes that you bring into it. Talk a bit about your influences and what kind of musical backgrounds you both have.
MM: I’ve chosen rap my designated favorite style of music since I was 4 years old. Aside from rapping on an independent rap label, I’m a connoisseur of gangsta rap and various other hip-hop genres. In terms of doing actual music, right now I just rap my ass off.
POS: As far as me, I came up more interested in punk and hardcore from a very young age, as soon as I heard it, that’s what grabbed my attention because of the energy of it. And then as I grew up I got more into the experimental areas of that stuff, like the Fugazis, as well as underground hip-hop, all the old Rhymesayers stuff. I currently make hip-hop and play guitar and sing in a hardcore band, not really hardcore anymore, but it’s something off the wall called Building Better Bombs, it’s like a dancey, hardcore screamy mess.
AC: What kind of things do you do in order to get ready for these very different shows? Between your more punk and hardcore shows, and then coming in to do a hip-hop show with Doomtree, do you use different methods of preparation?
POS: Not at all. It’s all the same to me. It’s different songs and setting, and hip-hop shows tend to have more people at them, but I’ve been making music since I was real young, and it’s always been about getting a chance to go out and perform it and have a good time, it’s one of my favorite things to do. Preparation is about the same for both, it’s just wait until you get to go do it, and then go do it.

AC: In terms of the group Doomtree, where did the name come from and how did you guys form up?
MM: I don’t think any of us really know where it came from.
POS: It was some non-sensical banter. Sometimes you get something stuck in your head and say it, and then when we were tossing around names for an early stage of it, it was just a production crew called Doomtree. Then that blossomed as we started playing more rap shows. How it came together was me, MK Larada, Bobby Gorgeous and Cecil Otter started doing some shows that I had booked, solo shows. Cecil would come out and do my back ups. He had songs, but he was nervous, but then as he got less nervous we started splitting the sets in half. Sam was somebody we went to high school with, Mike we met in high school, and from there it snowballed into a nice solid crew that we all felt good around.
MM: I met Stef (P.O.S.) when I was in high school, we’ve been wanting to rap together ever since…Doomtree’s a monster.

AC: Obviously we have you two on the line, but you’ve just dropped a lot of names for a lot of people in Doomtree, so for the people who don’t know the crew out there, why don’t you talk a little bit about what the other members bring to the table in terms of their styles and musical input, and how do they form the rest of the group?
MM: Well we’re talking about 9 people altogether.
POS: I don’t want to step on you Mike, but I just thought of a solid answer. It’s essentially 5 solo MCs, myself, Mike, Sims, Dessa, Cecil Otter and Turbo Nemesis is a DJ, Paper Tiger is a DJ and producer, MK Larada is a producer, Lazerbeak is a mega super producer. We essentially make solo songs, each bring our own style, I don’t want to go into everyone’s style, but everyone brings their own favorite elements of music into it and then we pile it on. Mike’s from LA, we all have our own sound, our own individual styles, and when we write songs together we try to balance everything out to make sure everyone gets the proper shine, everyone gets the proper words in to round out the song as well as flex their own personal style, from solid pattern rapping to as poetic as people want to write.

AC: It sounds like you have a great collaboration and you just released your first album. Talk about the tracks on this album and what the listeners can expect to hear.
MM: This album is a long time coming. There isn’t really any filler. We just had a lot of straightforward rap. When I listen to it, I may be biased, it doesn’t sound like everything else, but it fits right in. It doesn’t sound like the new, it doesn’t sound like the old, but it fits somewhere in there, at least to me when I step outside it as a listenter. We all have a solo track on there, and the other 18 songs are all of us together with different styles. I think a lot of it is straightforward.
POS: I think straightforward to us is a little different. I definitely agree with Mike that we don’t sound like new, we don’t sound like old, but we mix right in. We all bring elements of what you expect to hear from hip-hop, but we all also bring out own little flair. I think that’s an accident, being in the Midwest, and kinda being outsiders in the Minneapolis hip-hop scene for a really long time, we ended up playing a lot of shows with a lot of bands, a lot of rock bands, catering to different crowds than rap crowds until we could actually get outselves put on, so I think over the years our style just kinda developed in that way. It’s not like excessively rock music by any means, but the rules are cast aside in terms of how it’s supposed to go, the roots are in raw pattern hip-hop, and trying to be the best possible rappers we can be without having to talk about rap all the time. If people haven’t heard any of us before and they pick up the Doomtree record, they could and they should expect to hear quality hip-hop production, quality raps varied over 5 entirely different sounding MCs with 5 entirely different styles, but it’s all stuff that you’re used to if you’re a fan of rap. If you’re not a fan of rap, the beats can get aggressive or melodic enough to where you’re in, just one of those things where we don’t put on any kind of face for anybody, we just go do it.
MM: And that’s exactly what I meant by straight up.

AC: How would you view the traditional music industry with major labels and CD distribution, and where it’s intersecting now and clashing in some cases with the mp3 and download industry.
POS: That’s something we kept in mind when we went into this record coming out. A lot of these songs were done and started being written 2 years ago, and then the others are brand new, mega fresh. But a lot of that came from trying to find the right people to help us with the right deal and right situation. We ended up talking to some smaller majors, some moderately bigger majors and some indies and we ultimately wanted it by ourselves and looked into who we could talk to to help us do that. We ended up going alone because we didn’t want to give up our digital rights, and people are offering these ancient deals that just don’t make sense anymore. It’s the kind of thing where the artist has more control over the product than ever in the history of music. That’s a double-edged sword because there’s tried and true ways of getting it done out there and getting paid for it, and then there’s this whole experimental new world that we’re kinda just launching ourselves into. So I don’t really know how the music business is supposed to go, but when people say that they can’t do it the way that we want to, we just say sorry we’re going to go do it this way now.

AC: In terms of not giving up your digital rights, you look at Radiohead and NIN who recently had very well publicized free releases and downloads of albums. Do you think it’s beneficial to give parts of your songs to fans in remix contest format? Do you agree with putting your music out there to let the fans interact with your music?
MM: I’m totally into that. Two people I know, their next project is acapellas and instrumentals for free downloads on their Myspace. What it’s really all about is getting your music out there. Especially with CD sales, all that we have left is touring, playing shows and selling merchandise if we’re ever going to make money. So in my eyes, I see using your CDs and music as a tool to get people to your shows and stay current to what you’re making. With the digital insurgence, if you will, we’re definitely at a point where we need to put as much music out as possible, so if that makes people remix it and get it out even more, that’s where it’s at.
AC: That’s demonstrated by the fact that before I heard about you through your PR company, I checked the “Dots and Dashes” track off Indiefeed Hip-Hop. What kind of touring are you doing and where can people look out for you coming up?
MM: After we put the crew record out on July 29th, one of the big reasons we didn’t go with any of the labels is that we wanted a very rigorous release schedule. With the finishing of our crew record, we had almost everybody finishing solo projects. On the 26th of August we had Cecil Otter drop his solo record. Me and Lazerbeak are putting out a collaboration out at the end of this month, September 23rd, and then we hope to have something coming from our camp at least every month until the summer. We just got off a tour with the Flobots, and I believe we’ll probably be going out with POS for his solo record coming out.

AC: You’re up in Minnesota right now and the Republican National Convention is taking place. What’s the atmosphere up there like, and where does Doomtree stand, if anywhere, politically?
MM: We’re all pretty incredibly liberal people.
POS: We’re on the left, like in the corner, talking to ourselves. The atmosphere out here is crazy. We’re in Minneapolis the conventions in St. Paul, but you can still see like 6 police helicopters flying over Minneapolis two days before.
MM: I’ve seen unmarked vans with the doors open with guys in SWAT gear just waiting to pull up, I thought it was a drive by.
POS: Today was the first day of the convention and there was a cop car that got destroyed and a bunch of people got maced. There’s 72 hour holding cells for people if you don’t have a permit to demonstrate. Seems like a total headache nightmare…I’ll probably head down there tomorrow.
MM: There was a raid the night before last. Like 150 people got arrested.
POS: They weren’t arrested…they just busted into peoples’ houses got information and left. It’s bad news bears, but it’s to be expected, it’s the Republican National Convention. They definitely took down anything that isn’t bolted down. They were knocking down stuff 6 miles out from where the convention is, taking down lightposts just in case.

AC: That’s all the questions I’ve got for you guys today. Do you two want to plug anything, talk about any albums coming out, go for it.
POS: I just want to pump Doomtree.net and myspace.com/doomtree. People can go there and figure out whatever’s going on without having to think, they can just go there and look.
AC: I certainly appreciate you taking the time to talking to us at Evolving Music today.
MM: I appreciate you having us.
POS: Thanks man.

I’ve recently been bumpin a lot of Doomtree stuff and I came across this release. It’s nice to hear a dope FeMC every now and then. Definitely check the track 551.  Breeze, if you haven’t already, I recommend you to check this.

ARTIST…..: Dessa
TITLE……: False Hopes EP
LABEL……: Doomtree Records
URL……..: www.doomtree.net

RIP DATE…: Apr-14-2005
STORE DATE.: Feb-00-2005
GENRE……: Hip-Hop
QUALITY….: VBR / 44.1Hz / Joint-Stereo
SIZE…….: 18,4 MB

Track Listing:

01 – Mineshaft 02:54
02 – Everything Floats 02:44
03 – Press On 02:14
04 – 551 03:40
05 – Kites 03:32

─────
15:04 min
Release Notes:

dessa@doomtree.net

She thought that she had reached the pinnacle of her career upon
winning the “Miss Spoken Word Twin Cities 2001″ competition at the
Bloomington Radisson, but Dessa had no idea what was in store for
her. After three weeks touring the upper midwest promoting the
Written Word and Jack Panama’s Sunless Tanner, Dessa settled back
in to her dental hygenist job prepared to spend the rest of her
life marginally happy and occasionally marginally sad. Doomtree
had recently had a Foot-in-Mouth Disease scare, so they organized
a crew check-up at Smilin’ Eunich Dentistry. Their hygenist Dessa
was a fan of the collective’s work, and approached Bobby about
collaborating with them in the future. Bobby jumped at the chance,
as the “Underground Hip Hop Affirmative Action” and “Back-Packer
Women in the Workplace” acts had recently passed unopposed at
Russell Simmons’ Annual Hip Hop Summit. And the rest is history.

This is Dessa’s first release, False Hopes.

All tracks recorded and mastered at Ronin Audio.
Tracks 1-4 mixed at Ronin Audio.
Track 5 mixed by Doomtree’s own Turbo Nemesis.

DOWNLOAD!