Capital G, Capital Q: Delivering A Message From Knowa Lazarus on Launch, Album, & More...

One of the first people that offered feedback on this site when I started it last month, was Q-York member and Capital G Shop partner, Knowa Lazarus.  He had a lot of great ideas for articles I could come up with and how I could build this venture.  While I was half-hearted about taking this site seriously at first, he was one of the first people that made me feel as though there was concrete purpose here after all.

So the other day, I had a little chit chat with Knowa to expand ideas and to discuss unity through hip hop, mediums in hip hop to do the same, and several things that his crew is up to. All I know is, this crew is making moves.

First things first, Q-York, known for coining a number of terms in filipino hip hop such as "edutainment" and "mahalla", are at it again with their current single "Yuoy" (a combo of "yo" and "hoy"). It's great to see more and more hip hop heads on the airwaves so lets keep it there and do our thing in voting and promoting.

Secondly, Knowa hooked me up with a "secret link" with access to their whole "Q-York City" album, under Homeworkz, distributed by Universal Records, and available in all records bars (of course, at Capital G Shop).  Real talk, it might be easy for heads to stereotype "Fil-Am" music, but Q-York provides a multi-dimensional tracklist that has a little something for everyone. You have the club banger debut single, the song for the ladies "Could It Be You", the patriotic anthem feat. Jazze Manuel "Balikbayani" (more original terminology!) and the straight reppin' "Champion" (Remix) feat. Gloc9 and Chelo A. to name a few. As a duo, Knowa Lazarus and Flavamatikz are dynamic in their mission to "edutain" and with the All-Stars and other featured artists on their album, they make a solid stand.

Lastly, one of the aforementioned mediums to unify through hip hop has been Capital G Shop. The first branch in Greenhills, has been actively hosting CDs, merchandise, and a range of workshops (connected with the All-Stars dance studio) for a couple of years now. On Friday, August 12, they'll be launching their Robinson's Galleria branch in what is said to not be an event, but "an experience".  Indeed, what you can experience is a day filled with live performances, workshops for MCs/DJs/dancers, and a party for all.

Peep this poster and video for more details:

Given that the whole idea of "unity" should stem not only from a conversation between 2, but between many; I believe that the Capital G launch would be a suitable place for the idea to grow.  These "balikbayanis" are working hard so lets give them a hand and show our support.

See you all there!

For more info on Q-York or Capital G, you can find them on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/QY0RK?sk=info
http://www.facebook.com/capitalgshop?ref=ts

The Do-Over: A First in Manila

This month, B-SIDE will host the Manila edition of The Do-Over, the epic Sunday afternoon sessions of good music, good vibes and unifying the masses.  "All styles and all smiles" reminiscent of those comforting Sunday BBQs in the fam's backyard and house parties with the peoples combined.  That kind of thing. Established by Chris Haycock, Jamie Strong, and Aloe Blacc in LA back in 2005; The Do-Over has acquired wide recognition and has even been referred to as "the best party on the planet" by the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff.

It's happening on a Saturday for us, July 23rd to be specific, from 3pm-3am (well, that ends up technically being Sunday) so mark those calendars.

Now, you'll notice that aside from the brainchildren behind The Do-Over, the poster remains enigmatic about the rest of the line-up.  However, I took the liberty of getting the 411 for my beloved readers.  Word on the street is that DJs will include Rhettmatic, Bugz in The Attic, Shortkut, Rye, Don P, Red-I and Soulflower whereas performers will include ILL-J, Picoy, Miscellaneous, Caliph8 and Malek and Noodle Experience.  Crazy goodness indeed.

Do not sleep on this event. This is history in the making right here.  The Do-Over: A First in Manila.

For more info, log on to www.blog.thedoover.net.  Let me leave you with this video that'll leave you bouncing-off-the-walls excited:

The Recipe: Hip-hop as The Main Ingredient

Straight out of Dubai, UAE, embodying that breakbeat flavor through multiple hip-hop elements, is a crew known as The Recipe.  The ingredients being MCs, producers, DJs, and a beatboxer; the members go by the names DJ Flash B, Hirabeat, Jabbar, Kaz Money, Perfect Storm, and Swerte.

L-R: Swerte, Jabbar, DJ Flashbeat, Hirabeat, Kaz Money, Perfect Storm

They've rocked crowds with big international names like Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, etc. and have won over the hearts of their local listeners due to their collective high energy, original skills, and tastefully comedic live act.

Each contributor to The Recipe has a unique story of their own - from backgrounds to musical influences to achievements.  For this very reason, when you click on the "ABOUT US" portion of their website http://www.therecipedxb.com, they each have personal bios giving individual focus.  That being said, while it wasn't mentioned in his writeup, Manila heads may recognize half-Filipino, half-Indian member Hirabeat as one of the co-founders of Beatbox Pilipinas as well as beatboxer for People's Future. He actually has Manila to thank for birthing his passion for hip-hop and we have him to thank for giving us knowledge on this supergroup.

Check out their latest video "Shit Like This" front-lined by Kaz Money off his mixtape "The Ridicule - The Opposition", which can be downloaded via this link: http://www.mediafire.com/?lkidonw69pp7pat

Strictly reppin'. So much of what drew me to hip-hop in the first place was the self-expression, artists just going at it and not giving a what. Some humor in there never hurt either. These 6 heads bring just that, steady cooking up The Recipe, with hip-hop as the main ingredient.

For more info on The Recipe, check out their website (link seen above), on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/therecipe or on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/therecipedxb

Ruby Red Hot

I'm officially a fanatic of yet another female MC.  She isn't exactly new on the scene and some of you may have already heard of her, but I felt the need to give focus to a Pinay with exceptional English/Tagalog juggling skills over free verse - Ruby Ibarra.

This young lady has a pretty wide array of videos on youtube and through the same, she is now doing her thing with other artists that I highly respect like Rocky Rivera, Bambu, etc.  She has, in my opinion, the perfect blend of: poetry, venom and representation of her culture as a Filipina.  Despite not being homegrown, Ruby has definitely done her part in doing her heritage homework and it is very evident in one of my favorite videos/tracks by her titled "Who I Am".

Over Cormega's "The Saga" instrumental, in this song, Ms. Ibarra gives a detailed account of her acceptance and understanding of who she is and where she came from. The first thing that came to mind when I heard this was: Snap, I wish Kuya Kiko could have heard this.  Not only because "Mga Kababayan" was sampled in the song's intro, but because she seemed to embrace everything that he stood for in her words and in her actions.  Even without an official HD video, as a viewer and listener, I was able to absorb the sincerity and clarity of her message nonetheless.

To learn more about Ruby Ibarra, check her out via these sites/channels:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rubyibarra

http://www.facebook.com/rbibarra?ref=ts

http://www.rubyibarra.tumblr.com

Don't sleep on Ruby - red hot!

Gavlyn, Lyrical Javelin

So given that this blog is literally a day old, I thought it'd be a few days before I could gather my thoughts for a secondary post.  But sometimes hip-hop throws you these delightful surprises that just capture your attention and overwhelm you.  Thanks to my cousin Jason, who's based in LA, I woke up today to the slick sounds of his girlfriend/female MC Gavlyn through teasers for her soon-to-be-released debut album Habit That You Blame.  1 shared bandcamp link and hours later, I'm still glued to my speakers.  Simply put, every single track is on-point.


From content to delivery to production - Gavlyn's tracks are executed well with such fluidity and swag.  So much so that picking a personal fave has proven difficult.  However, if I'd have to choose, I definitely can't go with just 1 so I'll point out 5: 1) She really repped her stuff hard in #1 What I Do, 2) The title track #3 Habit to Blame is a heavy depiction of how she's been making her mark, 3) #5 Walkin' Down The Street is a smart take on a Dionne Warwick classic, 4) #6 Relentless, the title says it all, and 5) #10 is fresh from all angles, because even the featured artists are positive news to me and the beat is smooth as a baby's booty.

I highly recommend that you all check out Gavlyn Habit That You Blame so give that link a click and you'll have access to her complete track listing/promo length songs and other info on how to stay tuned to her movements, most especially the release of her full-length album.  This lady is an exceptional artist that I became an immediate fan of and I'm sure all of you will be too.

Gavlyn, like the light spear cast as a ranged weapon, is a lyrical javelin.

I Fell in Love Through My Ears...

"A man falls in love with his eyes.  A woman falls in love through her ears". -Woodrow Wyatt


I'm not going to tell you about when Hip-hop took my heart.  See, it didn't take a day nor even a week, month or year.  Instead I'm going to tell you how.  It penetrated me to the very core over a period of time and once I began listening deeper and deeper, I was convinced that it would be not be a whirlwind romance.  As I lived through my growing glories and pains, Hip-hop had listened back.


I took to a pen and pad at the age of 14 and though I always second-guessed myself with each verse, I was determined to make a worthy contribution.  It wasn't a few years until I was ready to let others hear and soon enough, I had camaraderie with some underground heads.  Things started to happen for me at both a critical and vital time.  I was growing with people that allowed me to be exposed to an eclectic mix of music, which wasn't always made available to my ears on the radio or perhaps I had just been too ignorant about.  It even allowed me to appreciate my parents' musical preferences from their upbringing (which I had formerly shunned), because they were undeniably hip-hop's roots.  I was fascinated and absorbed the very essence.  


Fast-forward a few more years, at the age of 17/18 and I found myself high-speed rolling with an already established hip-hop/rn'b group.  Y'know, this little ol' group called 7 Shots of Wisdom.  Well, let's just say that it was the good, the great, the bad, and the worst.  That many personalities made to work together daily plus young mind-states? Chaos was inevitable.  Nevertheless, at the end of the day, despite our lack of control over our moves and collectively committing mistakes to the nth power, it was a life-changing and thrilling run with talented individuals that I had the opportunity to fly high with.  5 things that cannot be taken away from this experience: 1) I was launched into the industry, 2) Our music touched many, 3) I learned the business side of the game, 4) I met my husband (definitely can't take that one away, that's forever), and 5) I wouldn't be who I am today without them - mind, body and soul.


Post-group, I did take a breather, but I also took chances in lending my vocals to tracks by other artists and eventually, my flame for writing and making music was reignited.  This was around the time that I was a college student under the Bachelor of Arts - Major in Music Production program at De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde.  My course enabled my connection with the fundamentals and provided me with the ability to observe and be a part of what goes on behind-the-scenes.  I was a listener and learner once more and I thrived in that position.


Moreover, this was also when I joined with my current manager, Jigger of LockedDown.  He not only patiently (more patiently than you'll ever know) walked me through the path of a solo artist, but also guided me on how to extend what I knew unto others.  I decided that not only did I want to make my own moves, I wanted to assist others in their musical ambitions too.  Thus, he blessed me with a LockedDown imprint label called Dope Love Records roughly 2 years ago.  Within the same year that it was established, the first album by People's Future titled Headlines Issue#1 was released and notwithstanding the bumps in the road, it brought me joy beyond words to be able to play a part in this endeavor.


I believe that now brings me to present day.  I, who tend to be a hip-hop hermit, because "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans".  It's as if Hip-hop had become an old home; one that I had always kept, intended to keep visiting and at times still live in.  When in reality, I should be home to my own Hip-hop.  


I will always have it in me to produce music, for release or not.  But when I'm not doing that, I want to remain steady aware and listening to all the magic out there.  Let me listen to your music and I will be a medium to let others listen too so that they may fall in love through their ears, as I did.