Hip-Hop | Musicosity

Hip-Hop

J Rocc

One of the original turntablists, J Rocc founded the Beat Junkies in 1992 with Melo-D and Rhettmatic, but has done just as much on his own as in a group setting. He began DJing in the mid-'80s with a California group named PSK. Soon after forming, the Beat Junkies became a seminal force in the rise of instrumental hip-hop, including core member Babu plus future stars Shortkut and D-Styles. In addition to numerous mixtapes and his own production for Stones Throw releases, J Rocc has been the DJ for Madlib's live shows since the early 2000's...

Ivens

from Cyclic Defrost: Melbourne’s MC Ivens first emerged from the hip-hop scene a few years back as a founding member of the Awakenings Crew. Ivens’ live performances resemble the intense atmosphere of a hardcore gig more than your usual hip-hop throwdown, with Ivens delivering his sharp-focused dystopian lyrical flow to audiences at point-blank range. Otherwise known as David Coen, Ivens founded Awakenings Crew alongside Hykoo, Nick Sweepah, Chasm, Aux-One, Osinaka and Grizzly Baddums.

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Tha Alkaholiks

Tha Alkaholiks, also known as Tha Liks, are an American hip-hop group from Los Angeles, California. Since the early 1990s they have produced funky, upbeat, hedonism-themed party music with a hardcore hip hop edge, powered by the beats of DJ and producer <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/E-Swift" class="bbcode_artist">E-Swift</a> (born Eric Brooks in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA) and the lively, comedic rhymes of <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/J-Ro" class="bbcode_artist">J-Ro</a> (born James Robinson in Los Angeles) and <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Tash" class="bbcode_artist">Tash</a> (born Rico Smith in Cincinnati). Though commercial crossover success largely eluded the group, they maintained a dedicated following on their native West Coast, throughout the United States and worldwide.

Flying Lotus

Los Angeles resident Steven Ellison. a.k.a. Juno Leed a.k.a. Flying Lotus is an electronic artist/hip-hop beat-maker, occasionally linked to artists such as Madlib , J Dilla and fellow LA resident The Gaslamp Killer for his more abstract and sometimes jazz-tinted style. Flying Lotus, often abbreviated to FlyLo, is currently signed to Warp Records, although he released his first album, 1983 on Plug Research Records, the label to which he belonged from 2006-2007. His June 2008 release, Los Angeles, with cover art designed by Build & Timothy Saccenti, was released to positive critical reviews.

Louis Logic

Louis Logic started rapping at a young age but it wasn't until he attended Penn State in the mid/late 90s where he recorded his first release, "Logistics 101" which ended up being the B-side for his first 12 inch, "Planet Rock" featuring L-Fudge. Banking L-Fudge's popularity on Jedi Mind Trick's Superregular Records in 1998, Louis started gaining notoriety. He released a series of 12 inches "General Principal" featuring J-Treds (with the widely favored B-side, "Factotum")...

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The Nomad

New Zealand producer Daimon Schwalger has released music under the name The Nomad for many years. The first album Movement was drum'n'bass, but subsequent releases have been downtempo releases with (obligatory in New Zealand) dub influences. Prior to his solo project he was performing drum'n'bass as part of trio Locust with Pearl Runga (sister of Bic Runga) and Ryan Smith (aka The Silversmith). They had no official releases.

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Kool Keith

An original member of New York's new-school pioneers the Ultramagnetic MC's, "Kool" Keith Thornton is best known as a solo rapper. His signature style is stream-of-consciousness lyrical flow and complex vocals, two skills that earn him a perennial nod from the underground hip-hop community. The average Kool Keith album is peppered with bizarre, disjointed, even delusional or disassociated themes, concepts, and references. Nearly all of his albums incorporate a satirical dislike for more commercialized strains of hip-hop, as well as major record labels.

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Raekwon

Raekwon (the Chef), one of the nine talented Wu-Tang Clan members, shines as the purist of lyricists. When the time came for him to release his first solo album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995), hip-hop, once again, underwent a momentous transformation. To give an accurate analogy Cuban Linx is to albums what Scarface is to movies. In fact, this classic album, which went gold in three days moves from track to track like a film moves from scene to scene.

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EdsEven

Sydney based dj/producer. Armed with a unique ear, deep collection and the skill for combining diverse sounds edseven has built a reputation as one of Sydney's premier freestyle selectors. Production wise edseven's musical scope and influences are evident as he writes everything from off kilter hip hop to broken dancefloor business. Production credits include a digital 12" on Straightup Recordings, remix work for Knowfoowl records artists Rephrase, Cookin' on 3 Burners and Unique records artist dj Regal(Bronx Dogs/Wiseguys member).

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