Grindtime East Coast presents “GTEC Volume 1″
New York is the battle rap mecca. Period. Other regions might rise in the wake of fall-offs or dormancy but the “NY freestyle,” pre-written acapella rhymes, was born there. So it’s only natural that with the sea change from freestyle competitions to honed pre-fabricated/opponent specific verse, NY would come back to the spotlight. Home to several leagues and five boroughs worth of hungry spitters, the Apple currently houses both glitzy stadium rap and decidedly more intimate rap exhibitions. Grindtime East Coast, or GTEC, is the epitome of the latter, and this Saturday, January 28th, they’re throwing what is sure to be one of the dopest, most heated events this year.
Following the success of the September “Follow the Leader” event, “GTEC Volume 1″ features live PPV streaming of the night’s clashes via Uvidy.com, including the heavy main events on the card.
Fresh off a bodybag in his solo return performance at KOTD’s “Flatline,” St. Catherine’s own bearded wonder Jack Shitt makes his first trip to take on Rapmusic and Grindtime Upstate NY’s Dirt. Can Jack hold it down as well as his countrymen have in NY in the past, or will Dirt give one of the year’s comeback performances?
And you best believe that beef’s on the menu, too. A year and a half after being dissed and following numerous stray shots and callouts, can Brooklyn’s PH defeat San Jose, California’s Dirtbag Dan, or will the San Jo native have some tricks up his beard? Plus, don’t forget about one of the most momentous battles ever, HEAD ICE vs Swave Sevah, to determine who is the king of Harlem. Considering how legendary Harlem MCs are in battle rap history, this battle alone is worth the $20 streaming price. They’re both imposing presences, with one being methodical and insightful and the other commanding and unorthodox.
Interested in history? Check the event vlogs and links below for more details, greasy talk, and info on the stream, including where and how to purchase. (more…)
Rapper MGK to join Tech N9ne on Hostile Takeover Tour
MGK, a recent signee to the EST 19XX/Bad Boy/Interscope Records label, has announced that he will be part of the Hostile Takover Tour with fellow artist Tech N9ne. The 9o-date tour kicks off on March 22nd and includes stops in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, and Las Vegas over a 99-day time period.
For his part, MGK (Machine Gun Kelly) is very excited. “Touring with Tech N9ne is going to be wild,” he said. “I’m going to Lace Up and bring the energy to so many cities across the country. I’m thankful to be able to play to in a bunch of new cities and give them a crazy memorable show.”
Those who are unfamiliar with MGK’s history should know that he’s the 2011 winner of MTV’s Hottest Breakthrough MC and has a successful single entitled “Wild Boy,” which features rapper Waka Flocka. In 2009, MGK won over audiences nationwide after being the only rapper ever to win New York’s famed Apollo Theatre Amateur talent show. He earth-quaked the standstill mid-west Hip-Hop landscape in early 2010 with a series of loud and fierce mixtapes, 100 Words And Running and the Lace Up mixtape. (more…)
The Alliance Battle League offers an environment for rap talent to thrive
The Alliance Battle League (A.B.L.), friends to RapMusic.com, is an organization that hosts events and contests that are of particular interest to rap music enthusiasts and hardcore enjoyers of the music.
What you’ll find below is more information and a video that gives more detail about what the battle league is all about.
Credit, and a shoutout, goes to Lyricalpriest and the A.B.L. crew. (more…)
King of the Dot presents “Blackout 2″
This Saturday, January 21, King of the Dot, Canada’s premier battle league four years and running, is throwing what will surely be one of the most talked about battle events in recent memory.
The sequel to last year’s infamous “Blackout” event (appropriately named for both the Canadian penchant for alcohol abuse and the battler’s tendencies to “blackout” on the mic) “Blackout 2″ comes on the heels of August’s huge three-day international event, “World Domination 2,” and “Flatline,” where top MCs from Canada, America, and abroad brought their A games, with Young Money and Toronto’s own multi-platinum rap/R&B star Drake making a special appearance and putting his own cash up for that night’s headlining battle.
Live events are about creating moments and this event promises the unexpected mixed with the professionalism that King of the Dot is lauded for. “Blackout 2″ comes not only with special guest hosts Lush One of Grindtime Fresh Coast fame, but the boys from Epic Meal Time, continuing the tradition of Canadian success story’s giving back and supporting their own homegrown rap community. “Blackout 2″ also marks the first ever live PPV broadcast of a King of the Dot event, with the first few battles free from 2-3 p.m. and the rest of the event available in HD stream, with special behind the scenes footage and other rarely seen live ephemera from 3-9 p.m. The cost? Just $15.
Check below for the the official video flyer, founder/host Organik’s PPV info vlog, Drake’s “Blackout” co-sign/shoutout, the half a million and counting DNA vs. Dizaster battle co-hosted by Drake from the previous event (“Flatline”), and more info and links (including the Ustream the HD broadcast will be shown on and PPV purchase links). (more…)
Sonny Bamboo is taking no shorts on Leprechaun Don
Southern heart/midwestern work ethic best describes Atlanta’s Sonny Bamboo. Part of a litany of WRC/Grindtime vets on their music grind but part of a select few actually putting out consistent quality work, the Grindtime Midwest founder and Indiana transplant recently dropped his fourth LP, The Leprechaun Don, as a free/name-your-own-price download.
Bamboo’s known for his intensity and fearlessness in his Grindtime battles, and it’s palpable in his tone on each of the album’s 18 tracks, a plate-scraping hunger befitting a small-statured MC who’s far more “Rudy” than Napoleon. More than scrappy, the self-proclaimed “Leprechaun Don” is about perseverance, a theme of overcoming struggle and rolling with the punches that shows up on tracks like “Nikes Laced” and the knowing title of the album (a moniker that could easily be a cruelly ironic comment from an outsider but in Bamboo’s hands is defiantly swagged out and endearing).
Many acapella battle rappers have had trouble gaining fans and notoriety due to the disconnect between their ability to rock a stage without a beat and their inability to style or, much less, ride one. Sonny Bamboo is not one of these MCs. Arguably more impressive here than in some of his battles, the Atlanta native spends a good portion of the album nimbly spitting in-the-pocket double-time/fast-flow raps over skittering Southern hi-hats while being able to actually slow it down and fill negative space on the slower/more introspective beats on the LP, like the aforementioned “Nikes Laced.” Featuring production from Brown Bag All Stars’ J57, Spittzwell, Big Boy, and Rapmusic/WRC/Grindtime alum Ness Lee, the album features a little something for everyone: poppy synth-laden Southern rap tracks, mellow sample-based tracks, songs with a live-band feel, and slow-burn 80s guitar solos, all with a mix of self-reflection, weed rap, autobiography, and braggadocio.
Check out the album stream/download link, the preview commercial for the album, and Sonny Bam’s own take on cribs (for the vertically challenged) below. (more…)
