Owbese – Intro (prod by ICBM from France)
At the beginning of this wonderful year known as 2015, with all the tech advances and information at our fingertips, it is sometimes hard to say it is wonderful. I mean look around us. Online, in the local news. Things are bad and getting worse, so it seems.
That is why so many people turn to music as an outlet. A way to escape, if only for a few minutes (or hours), into a world where everything makes sense and the music is in sync with your current mood or atmosphere. Maybe like magic, it helps us conjure up something primal and pure that we just can’t explain. Either way, music is a medicine. In every genre.
So like I started this column off…..the beginning of the year, I had the opportunity to hang out with a couple of old friends on tour from Arizona, who were the special guests of a Multi-genre influenced Hardcore Metal group, Stands With Fists. They were hanging out at the beach in Southern California before their next show, so I decided to tag along and get better acquainted with the band and to also catch up with my friends, Stacc Styles & Greg Sacks. The combo of Hardcore Metal and Hip-Hop is nothing new but when talking about SWF, you get something fresh. With the addition of a SouthWest chopper like Stacc Styles and ferocity of Greg Sacks on such tracks as “Feed Off of Me”, you get something old and new. Something that feels right but hasn’t been done in mass to know it until you hear it like I did.
I actually got a chance to spend the whole day with the band and I have to say, I’ve not had the opportunity to hang out with such a fun loving hardcore group of guys in a long time. Jon Russell,
Adrian Wilson, Matt Bejar, Darrell Gulledge, Marcus Davis, Dylan Duff, Omar Cuadra & Brad Phipps are some true stand up guys and I fully understand why their music works. They feel it, believe it, work together and grow together. They create for the fans and themselves. To then later get a chance to see them LIVE, was a treat within itself. I even helped schlep some of the equipment for them, because I love music and helping. Below are a couple of songs from the group, which I encourage you to listen to when you have a moment and want something hardcore that might not be 100% Hip Hop but definitely influenced by it.
Feed Off of Me – Stands with Fists
Bringing it back to Hip-Hop, I have an update from another old friend of mine who has been slowly building his empire, networking with producers outside of the U.S. and crafting his brand and style of music. Full of fire and truth, strength and struggle, you find Bloc Kade. Hailing from Philadelphia, he is no stranger to survival in a tough area during tough times. Having conquered many personal demons as well allows this man to put his heart into every bar he records and while he isn’t bent on trying to “out bar” anybody, he will body anyone trying to step in his way, lyrically. When he walks in the room, it’s as if a world renowned assassin has entered the building. He is a force to be reckoned with all by his self, hence the name Bloc Kade….Blockade. He has been engaged in video challenges and song competitions for the past few years and is self taught with all he does. From production to recording to videos, he is determined to master it all. I know for a fact that he will make music until he breathes no more. It’s just the culture. We live it. We don’t just “rap” it or wear it. WE ARE HIP HOP. Below is a link to his Soundcloud page where you can find more of his recordings and keep up to date with his postings. For the warriors and fighters out there, Bloc Kade is right up your alley.
Last but not least, to round out this post for others to come, (I won’t just be posting quarterly), I bring you a man who is no stranger to the site, be it through his own merit and efforts or collaborations with other artists who have also been featured on this site. Owbese. When I first found out about Owbese I was amazed. To later find out he lived in my city was astonishing. He has a way of embracing any production he finds and making something classic out of it. Let him do his own production and you feel like we never left the prime of the 90’s yet we somehow took it into the future and it evolved. A true storyteller and child of the Culture we all love and live. I posted one of his videos at the top of the page for you to enjoy and I’m sure someone did. If you know of his music, then his scenery for the video makes perfect sense. If not, know Owbese will take you where it’s dark and humid. Where it’s fresh and pungent. Where grimy Hip-Hop lives and grows like a leviathan.