The boys of Prime Example are back at it again. This time, they're spreading their wings and flying the coop, but not permanently. Each artist is pursuing their own solo projects, and making the first debut is Iron Mic's The Mic Check. Known as an encyclopedia of hip hop knowledge to his comrades, Mike "Iron Mic" Kane puts together a list of seemingly harmless track names such as "Jedi" and "Raw,",but the punches come from the hard-hitting lyrics and powerfully pounding beats, making the project, produced by Marc Mostro Coppola and Ian Riquelme Olivos, a guaranteed knockout. Watch out for this one. Copies of the album will be available for $5 tonight at McGarret's. The party starts at 10 pm and will feature instrumental stylings from the live hip hop band Type Relevant. DJ Optimus Prime, who provided cuts for the album, will also be spinning. Cover is $5.

Iron Mic performing at the Cretaceous Sunday Cypher:

Even if you haven't heard any of his music, you'll remember the name. Just don't call him "Bogie." Brooklyn-born MC Bogustice Tundra Kidz has probably undergone as many name changes as Sean "P.Diddy" Combs, but his flow remains consistent. Steady and unwavering, Bogustice shows us why perseverance pays when you forge your own path in his latest single, "Walk Alone," from his forthcoming mixtape The Gustice Legacy. Leaning on a laid-back baseline, Bogustice swerves in and out of city traffic with assertive lyrics, a heartfelt mantra, and a kick back to the days of what he calls underground "theme music," soundtracks to our lives. Priding himself on being a freestyle rap artist, Bogustice (Born Original Genetic Uniqueness Structured To Isolate Cerebral Excellency) is sound in both mind and rhythmic flow. He also gets the prize for most creative rap name from this writer. Enjoy.
 

Pop out to one of the many hip hop showcases or events going on in the city and you'll find yourself mingling among a host of nightcrawlers--scenesters, musicians, MCs, and the usual bar dwellers fraternizing, flirting, drink spilling, and networking. With attention on everything but the stage, intention of support becomes partially an artificial cause. Investigate the scene a little more and you'll probably find him -- producer and UB college student Jamie "Jacebeats" Catania, plunging through the crowd straight towards the performance, withdrawn from all the distracting clutter only to be caught up in the rapture that is art. If the feeling behind music was rendered on canvas, Jamie would be its easel, sturdy and unrelenting, the support holding up an underground hip hop scene to Buffalo and beyond beckoning,"Hey, look at is being created. Look at what it could become." He is actively the onlooker, the protector, and the server of such a cause. In a city where artistic support appears fickle and stubborn and tensions are petty, individuals like Jace are needed to point us in the direction of faith.

THIS JUST IN: DRAKE WRITES SONGS ABOUT LOVE 'SHAKE AND BAKE,' RELATIONSHIP BAGGAGE, BUT RESENTS 'EMOTIONAL RAPPER' LABEL...STILL

A few months ago, Drake sat down with Canadian broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi of CBC Radio and broke it down for the people: “I’m so sick of people saying that I’m like lonely and emotional, and associating me with this like longing for a woman,” he explained. “I hate that, it bothers me so much…’cause I do make music that makes you feel something, but I’m actually not that guy in real life, I’m happy…I’m very excited, my life is constantly exciting, it’s not some sad depressing story.” He went on to say that, “As far as the soundscapes go,” Drake continued, “That’s just the music I chose to make. I make music strictly for the purpose of driving at night time.”

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the plethora of memes on Facebook, and the websites dedicated to their creation--Drake holding random baby, Drake striking a model pose, Drake hunched down against a wall with big brown puppy dog eyes, Drake forlorn. Accompanying each photo is some sort of emotionally mocking, tongue-in-cheek quote action. All I can say is...haters gon' hate. But I'm a hater, and I love to hate to love Aubrey Graham, because, he's made a fortune off of being the "soft guy." But in a world of gimmick-ruled hip hop, isn't everyone going "soft" nowadays? Drake is one of the few "newcomers" who has at least managed to maintain the same image over the course of his success (Hopefully he isn't mentored by Snoop Dogg who "found the light" all of a sudden and became Snoop Lion or P.Diddy who went through like, five name changes and just continues to hop on other artists' steezes instead of stitching out his own). Who doesn't love a kid in a wheelchair. What woman radio listener is going, "He cared too much and shit!" No woman, I have yet to meet, anyway (though I'm sure they still exist).

Negativity initially poured in from the masculine hip hop perspective, because pride is something to be cherished--they're all keeping up on who's getting the most ego boosts per day and who's crown jewels are getting polished by which video vixen at the moment. Which brings me to another question: how does one acquire "street cred" in the industry, is it meaningless within the scene now, with all the Tygas running around making pop tracks with Justin Bieber figures and Mileys shaking their ass next to Mike-Will-Made-It and Juicy J? It just seems like an overly obvious route to take in order to increase numbers. It's clear that, today in mainstream hip hop, you need a game plan. One can't rely on talent alone; you must have a back story, an oddity, a controversy.

Drake has all of the above. You also must stay current on all new trends, hip hop and non-hip hop alike, or you will get devoured. Hip hop has made it's way into all aspects of private and public life, from lingo to dress to movies to philosophy and mannerisms. People on the outskirts yearn for that very street cred that has been lost within the scene. It's the cross-genre chameleon transcending racial and socioeconomic boundaries, a force twerked forward by singers like Miley Cyrus. And the hip hop world embraced her. It is the new dirty pop; it fits into whatever context/trend relevant at the moment. The genre's reputation has undergone several face lifts over the years, and so has its mainstream fan base. With the idea of "street cred" out the window,the line of distinction has faded. If all hell is breaking loose, why can't Drake continue to shed a tear or two in a song without people accusing him of "emasculating" the entire game? Leave Aubrey alone!

I wanted to reflect on this whole Drake meme craze that has been going strong on the internet for about two or three years now. And by "reflect" on I mean make fun of...for funsies. Nothing more, nothing less. These “Drakeisms” have been going on since 2011/2012 (Complex mag’s got 15 hilarious ones right here). Drake memes also made it to the number 15 spot on Complex’s list of Biggest Internet Sensations of 2013 (Miley Cyrus makes the number two spot, that’s a post in itself (I could name the top five twerk incidents that should never happen in public again. She would be on the list, not because she shouldn't do it, but because she's doing it wrong, but shall refrain). I decided to play around with the "Drakeism" thing myself. I have no meme powers, but I DO have an indulgent mind, and Drake just happens to be my muse of the minute. I therefore posed the question to fellow hip hop friends: can you feed my Drake habit and send me your corniest, emotionally nauseating Drake bars? Responses did not flood in (Guess "street cred" matters in the underground of talent (Lil Wayne doesn't count, already checked). My really good writer friend, however, was all for it (We share this Drake meme fetish...and a love for the outlandishly spontaneous). She was totally down for some senseless fun. And so it started off as a battle of girl-on-girl wit:


She came with a second round of heat seconds later:


A random Facebook scroller was astounded by our amazing Drake lyric quick draw and blasted us away with his social commentary:


We were so damn hyped we just couldn't help but drag some local rapper elites into the whole deal...Chaotik Stylz goes in...#CYPHER!!!!:


After a few exchanges it was evident, that, one really can't take Drake too seriously. He's as soft as a snuggie (And knows quite a lot about feminine hygiene products):


BUT THEN Kevin "Frigid Giant" Delgado smacked us in the face with a more realistic portrayal of the rapper in song, a verse Drake himself would be highly proud of, and could actually use:


I suppose if Drake cared about street cred, he could toughen up his image, zipper up into a deadmua5 suit and start twerking on stage at the Country Music awards, which would arouse excitement in any and every country artist who has ever had the devil on their shoulder taunting them into incorporate a rhyme or two in one of their songs. Hey, Drake's all for it (#streetcred). But he's doing him right now...



Last name Ever, first name Greatest, like a sprained ankle boy, I ain't nothin' to play with, started off local, but thanks to all the haters I know G4 pilots on a first name basis, UH

Just call Jacob Freeman, known to the Buffalo hip hop world as producer and MC Jake Sabers, a big ol´ rugged teddy bear with a cool beard and a flawless sense of clean, crisp fashion. Lover of 80s speed metal and skeptic of The Illuminati phenomenon, Jake Sabers has a lot of be proud of. Last year, the producer brought a grand idea to fruition when he shepherded artists within the Buffalo music community and opened Nickel City Records, a hip hop recording studio in downtown Buffalo. The industrial space, which doubled as an old garment factory and elevator manufacturing building back in the day, was transformed into an urban fortress of social networking, beat ingenuity, and artistic flowering in a matter of months. Currently on the horizon is an idea Jake calls a new hip hop type of marketing, which will include cypher events and other social gatherings to be held at the Nickel City Records building.

His forthcoming project, an emo-type parody album called The Cutting Party, is set to be released within a few months and will include guest verses from The GreYs and fellow members of his hip hop crew, Natural Ingredients. "It´s going to be ultra offensive. The first track is called, 'Don´t Be So Sensitive,'" Jake said. "It´s a project making fun of all of the BS in the scene that happens around here...Plus we rap over trap beats so it keeps the people moving...It´s joking with purpose." Razor blades, tears, and trap beats--sounds like Kid Cudi´s idea of a wickedly twisted time and it might make Drake step his game up a little. In the meantime, tissues and knives aside, give this flourishing producer's Acres of Diamonds beat tape a listen, and check out the spin-off track featuring Buffalo MC Alexander Anonymous.

22-year-old entrepreneur Zach Patton, owner of Cretaceous Buffalo Clothing on Elmwood, is pushing the presence of an ambitious underground production to the forefront by combining his two favorite passions: street wear and hip hop. To the thirsty MCs swimming all across the city: this is your chance to shine. The Cretaceous Sunday Cypher--“cretaceous,” as in belonging to the age of the dinosaurs and “cypher,” as in a freestyle battle of rhyme and wit---began in July as a small, modest, and informal way to bring together some of the burgeoning talent the city has to offer under one roof. “Skateboarding in the community I grew up in was kind of dying, and I was an avid skateboarder when I was younger, so I thought, what can I do to start getting people motivated to skate again?” the Kenmore native said. “So I figured the best way to do it was to start some kind of brand. We got into the whole t-shirt thing, and ever since then it has snowballed into so many other things, currently, the biggest thing being hip hop right now. That’s a scene that we chose to attach ourselves with because it has grown so fast.” Now on its fifth run as a permanent, monthly-scheduled event, the cypher has created some buzz among the Buffalo music community. The last event, held in November, garnered about 27 registered MCs from all over Buffalo and a crowd of more than 100 people.


This month’s cypher will work like this: A roster has been hand-selected by the Cretaceous crew of standouts from cyphers past and posted on their website. There are two rounds. Each MC gets an average verse of 16 bars or, whatever they deem appropriate for their turn. There will be an open mic beginning at 5 p.m. before the official festivities commence for those who didn’t make the roster, but have the urge to spit. “Some of these people have an agenda when they’re saying things. A lot of the people that do these…they’ve got something to say, whether it be about the government or how they came up, they’ve got something to say,” said Paul Boal, the master of ceremonies, who lent his exquisite skill of beatboxing to this past cypher event, bursting out into “In Da Club” and “No Diggity” rhythms on whim. When Ali ABishai gripped the mic, the holy sermon shook his soul—and the entire room of MCs. The native from Niagara Falls and one of the original founding fathers of “God hop” in Buffalo finds that the message of Christ is well-received through unorthodox means. “When you embody what God hop is, it’s hip hop. …I could sit here and preach Christ to you all day long, would you listen? But do it the right way, and you walk away with a message, you walk away with raw beats, and you walk away with a person that cares,” the spiritually-rooted MC said. Since participating in his third Cretaceous cypher thus far, ABishai has learned that the time one has with the mic is short, so each moment better be memorable. “Detail is important especially in a room full of MCs. Stand out as much as possible, even with the way you hold the mic. First impressions sometimes might be your last,” ABishai said.

According to Tre “Ocho” Marsh, when you’re an MC in the underground scene, you have to put yourself out there to get a taste for what’s out there. “Hip hop in itself is competitive, and you have to see where everybody’s at. You kind of have to know hip hop in order to stay relevant, especially when you’re talking on the mic, and in that, you get to see everyone’s thought process basically: pieces of their albums, pieces of everything that they’re doing outside of the cypher itself. So you get to see everyone’s development,” Marsh said. As the underground hip hop community gains more notoriety within Buffalo, it is Patton’s hope that so too will the Cretaceous Buffalo clothing brand. “The image of our brand has improved. People who wouldn’t necessarily buy our clothes, or know who we are, suddenly you hear them saying, ‘Cretaceous’ because of the cypher,” he said. “We all grow together. As the hip hop scene grows, we grow too. We help the artists, and the artists help us out.” Although there are a few other cyphers in the area that ABishai is continuously invited to, he feels that presently, the Cretaceous Sunday Cypher is where he wants to carry his message. “(The cypher) is about us coming together and creating, hopefully, a real brother-sister relationship and unity in hip hop,” ABishai said. “This is home right now.” This month’s cypher will take place today at 6 pm at Cretaceous Buffalo on Elmwood. For more information on Cretaceous Buffalo, visit their website. The event is free and spectators are welcome.

Steve Gordon

Connan Mockasin - Caramel
New Zealand's Connan Mockasin is what would happen if you made circa-1997 Radiohead drop acid with Syd Barrett and Ariel Pink. Bizarre and haunted, jazzy and demented, lo-fi bedroom space rock. Fill that bedroom with some baby-making, and you have his 2013 album, Caramel; all the aforementioned artists, with a little bit of Brothers Johnson on top. “Lysergic Sex Funk” is how a friend once described it, and I can't beat that. “I'm the Man, That Will Find You” is a standout track.




Jaz Frazier

The Malones - The Malones
If there is any one album that I abused, it’s easily the Malones’ self-titled album. This album got me through my day, through my night, and through mornings when I was pushing through an unforgiving hangover. It certainly helped that the shows these guys [Steven Floyd, Elliott Douglas, and Brandon Schlia] performances were EXPLOSIVE. If during their set you were too winded to shout the lyrics anymore or too achy to troll the floor, the crowd would carry you, in addition to an energetic Douglas hopping into the audience making them all go ballistic. The live performances were transmitted so well into their recorded work, making this my most-loved album of the year.



Jessica Brant

Lorde - Pure Heroine
This saucy songstress from down under struck a chord with me--and everyone else--when "Royals," a nod to, and dodge from, all things ostentatious hit the radio waves. She left the world asking, "Who on God's earth is this beautiful soul with golden brown tendrils, doe-like eyes and the voice of an ethereal fairy?" And then we all found out it was a 17-year-old high school kid singing us to shame. Each listen is like opening a scrapbook from high school days past, complete with sloppy prom pictures, gushy love letters, and torn-up concert tickets...Oh, to be seventeen again. Most notably described as the reigning queen of "confessional bedroom pop," Lorde compiles an impressive track list filled with silky harmonies and free-spirited hip hop and electronic beats. Feel the power in her gloriously arranged "Glory and Gore," and the bubbly dance rhythms of "Tennis Court." This girl can brag all she wants; she is the true queen bee, taking pop where it needs to be. Lorde is now, and Lorde is the future.

As a woman in a predominantly male-driven arena, some might think that Jamie “Jay Mf G” Gugino is playing with fire. But when you’ve got her kind of credentials, who could blame the femcee for walking straight into the flames? Jay G is a revolutionary, a mother, a student, a chef, and a self-published author. She’s also one hell of a lyricist, packing just as much force as her male counterparts on any given day. As the female stand-out of Essential Vitamins Crew and the only real feminist voice representing the local underground hip hop scene, Jay G proves she is the true first lady femcee of Buffalo hip hop. She has gathered all of the brilliant facets of herself that give truth to this under her first official LP, Food for Thought, a project that took two years of planning and producing to complete.

On this project, Jay G dishes out a mouthwatering collection of masterpieces inspired by her Sicilian roots and the traditional 8-course Italian meal. She starts with the savory “Sauce on SunJay,” a track with cuts complimentary of DJ Optimus Prime and Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message.” In it, the femcee delivers her own message, a constructive critique on the state of today, through swift cadence changes and a call out on “idiotic ideologies.” Next she dips into the “Duck Sauce” featuring Keith Concept. Concept humbles those living the wack MC lifestyle by serving them up a raw platter of “vagina meat,” while Jay G throws a flaming pile of “my shit don’t stink” in the faces of haters everywhere. The pair boasts a tenacious spirit and a tag team lyrical approach, proving they have nothing to hide in this game. 

And just when you thought you were full, love comes to bite you in the ass in “Burnt Toast,” a menu item that comes with a side of lies and a glass of “fuck you.” The lady MC attacks with venom in this frightfully scrumptious treat produced by EVC’s Cove Blackbelt, steering us through the trials and tribulations of a tumultuous relationship. It’s a track any woman could feel the fury of and also feel devilishly empowered by. Lastly, we get served some steaming hot “Va Fangool & Pasta Fagioli” featuring Legal the Lifesaver, a rap rock dedication beat that tantalizes the taste buds in every way.

This album is unapologetic, intelligent, fearless, and audacious, just as every woman should be. You don’t have to dumb down, sell out, or put out to get anywhere in life—especially as a woman in hip hop, and Jay G is proof of that.
 

Boy bands are like Furbies. At one point we may have forgotten about them, but they’re so gosh darn cute that they somehow found a comeback within the fluffy fringes of pop culture. And with comebacks come reinvention. Through an edgy and refreshing blend of in your face, poppy punk-driven anthems, high energy drum rhythms, and killer acoustic prowess, the Buffalo-based pop-punk band Faith and Fiction reworks the “boy band” label to their advantage.

After releasing their first single “Cloud Nine” in April of 2012, followed by their first EP, For Glory, the rambunctious 4 piece, whose musical style they brand as a combination of pop punk giants Brand New and All Time Low, got their first (albeit modest) taste of fame. While they garnered a growing presence of YouTube followers online and a larger fan base at shows, the real cloud nine didn’t seem too distant. ”We definitely had some momentum, but there were also a lot of things that we had to work out,” guitarist Michael Montante said. A year later and with a little more experience under their belt, the guys are determined to do things better this time around with their second EP, Kids in the Clouds, set for release this summer. “The EP we’re putting out is really going to be the base of whatever we do in the future from here on out,” Montante said. “We’re taking our time and trying to do it right.”

Shedding a tear on stage will almost always get you laid…said no member of Faith and Fiction ever. But, boy bands do have to have a sensitive side, and the group has definitely had their fair share of heartbreak. “You Stole My Sweater,” the first leak off of Kids in the Clouds, deals with this dreaded reality through angelic vocals, haunting melodies, and a hopeful outlook. “I thought it was a unique name because it’s the idea that someone took this part of you that you can’t get back,” said lead vocalist Timothy MacDonald of the track’s title.

For more on the young heartthrobs from Buffalo, check out their YouTube channel.

Travis Kowalski

Lorde - "Team"
Even if you overlook the worldwide hype and praise New Zealand teenager Ella Yelich-O’Connor aka Lorde has received this year, it’s easy to see why her music has made it into countless international playlists. Her first single “Royals” introduced everyone to an amazing vocal ability and perceptive writing style that was inherently missing in the pop landscape, but it was her second single, “Team,” that instantly became my favorite song this year. Within the first few seconds of the song, Lorde demands your attention with a soft whisper of “Wait ‘til you’re announced. We’ve not yet lost all our graces.” Swirling synths and polished vocal work only add another dimension to Lorde’s limitless musical capabilities, which really aim to prove how she’s looking to not only inch her way into pop music, but instead swiftly move all the way to the top. Amidst newfangled pop classics like “Team” that goal seems very possible. 



Ailsa Forlenza

Beats Antique - "You The Starry Eyed" (ft. Lynx & Sorne)
On their album A Thousand Faces Act I, Beats Antique musically explores the hero's journey, from the initial call to crossing the threshold into the underworld. "You The Starry Eyed" is a beacon of hope, urging the hero to plod forward. Lynx's angelic wavers glide over a sonorous synth landscape in a gentle duet with Sorne. It's inspiring, with lyrics like "Push on through the night/ like the ones who came before you," and an epic dance groove, verging on the edges of electro-glitch. 



Scott Mancuso

The National - "Pink Rabbits"
This is my favorite song of the year. I think it gets everything right in order to be a good song. It has a well-written melody, it’s well-sung, the instrumentation is varied and interesting to listen to, the music builds on itself in a way that sounds natural and not-at-all forced and expands and contracts in proportion to the emotional tenor of the song’s narrative, and the lyrics are extremely clever and poetically repetitive and subtly tell a story that is painfully sad in a way that is not maudlin or dramatic or self-pitying but that is humble and honest and feels exactly like the hollow, insignificant ache of being a “white girl in a crowd of white girls in the park.” It gets exactly right the ways that physical and emotional distance can play tricks on each other and make the person in your head "sitting in a fainting chair drinking pink rabbits" feel like they're stabbing you with a voodoo doll while the person you're dancing with (the same person, whom you're now holding "way too high off the ground") feels like they're a million miles away as you listen to Bona Drag on repeat, take another swallow of whiskey, and listen to the sound kick out.

Level 1: Fantasy. Level 2: Ecstasy. Level 3: All the Way Turnt Up. If I had to describe Joe Locus's latest project in stages of a video game, that is how I would categorize the 26 tracks on his latest project inspired by virtual play, Long Swords and Sine Waves. As 1/4 of the 716 hip hop crew Prime Example, Joe Locus is an integral part of the production and direction of the group's wistful sound. In this solo project, he focuses the listener's attention on his gaming wizardry and the all-consuming pastime of his childhood by completing each track as if it were a stage in a video game. According to the producer, that is how he best works. Joe delivers the popular motif softly to the ear through nostalgic sounds of the '70s and '80s in "Party People," and "Listen" even brings to me a different kind of nostalgia. Though not a video gamer, I was a mallet percussionist all throughout middle and high school (cough NERD cough), so the xylophone vibrations and marimba grooves in "Listen" got my heart all a flutter for a few minutes. Anyway, enough about me. Listen as this gifted emcee throws down the funk and ride the sine waves.
 

The more poetic half of Dead Trash Mob Records' alternative hip hop duo The Greys and scholarly older brother to his precarious younger sibling Bagel Jesus, Trè Marsh, also known by the monikers Trè Ocho and Trè Guevara, is an emcee of a different feather. The 28-year-old Lenny Kravitz look-alike (when his hair is in au naturale mode, of course) is implementing a different strategy to stay ahead in the game: read up on the greats. I'm not only talking Biggie Smalls, Rakim, and Public Enemy, but literary greats like David Foster Wallace, Thomas Pynchon, and James Joyce. "A lot of the music that I do make is literary, and that’s only because as an emcee, you have to step away from what everybody's doing. If I have to separate myself individually from any other artist it's going to be the fact that I read a lot," he said while hanging out downtown with me at the Nickel City Records studio.

The former New York University attendee is a slamming sensei of sorts. His love for spoken word and zest for knowledge both musical and literary provides context, balance, and satirical stylings to an odd genre that The Greys have creatively carved into, trash hop, alternative rap. The musician thanks a mix of musical influences for contributing to his creative salivation. "It was wrong for me to listen to a lot of music growing up because my mom was very religious at one point and she heard a line from Michael Jackson saying, 'Even sell my soul to the devil' in regards to talking about a girl and she was like 'Hell nah!' It was really bad for me to listen to certain things and that made me want to listen to it even more...Like at one point, I was like nine or ten years old and I was big into The Smashing Pumpkins, which pretty much got me into rock."

On his latest solo album, Trècubessence (due for release in April but can be heard in pieces on Soundcloud), the savvy master of wordplay fiddles with the English language while we float into the stratosphere of his mind. He dreams up his perfect mate, a woman as dark, seductive, and dangerous as Morticia Addams in the gothic fairytale, "Filthy, Fishy Dreams of Persephone." He states his belief in not compromising himself for anyone else's tastes in "Arthur Miller," another personal favorite of mine. "Nothing that I do is really personal, but the feelings that I do have about things are relative. Everyone feels that when you're talking about people trying to crucify you, who literally in the game, doesn’t feel like they’re being crucified for how they feel or what they say," he says of the song. Each track so far being released on Trècubessence is a piece of lyrical madness. The emcee is the Phantom of the Opera behind his words, inventing the plot as he goes, taking the story through climactic twists and sinister turns until insanely lost in the drama. 

Whether his head's in the clouds, in a book, behind a camera (He's also an assistant manager at The Nickel City Blend project), or listening to Madonna behind his mother's back (Yes, he's down with Madonna), Trè Marsh is continuously learning, always astute, and forever the rebel.

I take a sip of coffee and scroll through Facebook on my phone inside Cafe Aroma on a cloudy autumn afternoon. 12:30 pm approaches and I patiently await the arrival of my interviewees, Mic Excel and Short Moscato. 12:45 approaches and still, a no-show. Seconds later my phone rings. "Hey, It's Mic calling from Short's phone. We're running late. But we're like five seconds away," the voice says in a laid-back demure tone. "OK!" I say professionally, trying to disguise the irritation in my voice. "Wordddddd," Mic replies "cooly." He hangs up. Two minutes later the guys walk in with a swagger step that would put Shaggy to shame, and stuntin' with some gold chains and baggy Sean John pants sagging down to their man jewels. I instantly perk up. My panties drop at the sight of this fine, fresh-lookin' hip hop collabo. "Can I be in ya'lls video?!" I scream like a school girl. "Hey girl, we got a list goin.' We'll put you up at the top though if you do a little somethin' for us, shawty," Short Moscato whispers in my ear. I drool all over the counter.

That's how the scenario would have gone had I met two typical hip hop meatballs into over self-promotion and Black Panther rap. In actuality, the gentlemanly, humorous, and free-spirited duo, whose latest project The Ren and Stimpy Show, is a not-so-serious project that avoids the divisions and collisions of overly serious hip hop, is nothing of the sort. I spoke to them about their music, Batman, and much more during our not-so-serious rendezvous.

JB: How did you guys meet?

ME: Mutual friends. A promotional company called After Dark put on an event called the Hip Hop Hybrid at Broadway Joe's. I was hosting it for a few months. They put his act on the bill (Short Moscato's), and that's how we first met. We didn't really start hanging out until like four or five months ago, when he started mixing up stuff with EVC crew and he was leaving Koolie and trying to do his own thing. And I was trying to do my own thing. And for some reason it ended up us doing something together, and that's really how R&S came about. LOL.

JB: Let's get to The Ren and Stimpy Show. Tell me about the concept behind it.

ME: The real push behind that was that Short and I were just talking about hip hop and seeing people being super, super serious about it like, "Oh I'm gonna put out this album and it's going to change the game. I recorded it in my garage, this shit is real...we gotta unite as a people... and everyone starts to gets so serious, and because of that level of seriousness they become easily jaded and that how enemies form in hip hop.

SM: And they made it (hip hop) corny.

ME: And corny. They made it corny because they made it so serious. If you listen to like DeLa, their just having a great time. Jay Five. Great music. But...we were like these dudes are real serious right? LOL. No, we hope this album doesn't change the game, But with R&S it was the beginning of the summer and we just wanted to have a lot of fun and we needed a reason to record. SM: I think the album is a satire theme. It's real brash. Half the stuff we're saying is pretty horrible.

ME: Womanizing and degrading. And thats not how we are.

SM: We're just trying to take ourselves less seriously. Just superficial, stupid stuff stuff. Like girls, drugs...

ME: We usually just write it on the spot, record it, and it just kind of stays with us....That's why Short and I got along so well. We have the same mentality of recording music. It's not like mega preparation... For me, when I first hear the beat, I write whatever I want to write, but it has to be the day off, or else I'm not going to feel the same way tomorrow and I'll write something completely different. And a lot of people don't like that about MCs like me. they're like, "Oh you didn't prepare for it?"...I'm not knocking them but...

SM: No I'm with you. Like back in the day when Miles Davis and Coltrain were playing together they...sending each other emails. They were getting together and doing it. That's how real music's made. With this generation its so easy for everyone to be a hip hop star on their Facebooks and record in their closet.
Where do you usually record?

ME: All over...Usually we've been recording downtown at the Nickel City Records studio downtown.

JB: Jamie Catania (producer at NCR) he's a nice guy.

SM: Super nice guy. He's got two beats on the project.

JB: Ian (Ian Cochran, Nickel City Blend co-creator), has some beats on R&S two. I really like (the track) "Untamed World" he produced. It's really weird, but the beginning of it sounds like some Moulin Rouge-like stuff on there...like I could see a burlesque troupe doing something to it...I'm a dancer so when I heard it I was like, I could really make this work.

SM: You wanna be a dancer in the video?

JB: Yeah, I'll do it. DROOLS.

SM: Tighhhhhhht.

JB: So Short, are you in love with Iggy Azalea?

SM: Yeah. A lot of things about her amaze me. She's Australian. She's a model.

ME: She's got the baddest ass.

SM: And the best thing. She has this accent right. And when she talks, she tuhks like thees. And when she raps she sounds like a black chick.

Then we segwayed from accents to Christian Bale in Batman....what.

JB: I'm not into Batman.

ME and SM: What?!?!

JB: Yeah...or Superman.

ME: I hate Superman.

ME: It's like being Bill Gates, its not fair. You can do whatever you want. That sucks. You should have some limitations. It affects my day. I think about Superman. I'm like, "I hate you, Superman."

SM: Yeah you gotta have limitations, man.

Last question, favorite track you've recorded off of R&S?

SM: My favorite song is "City Hicks" with Jake Freeman.

ME: I like the one with GoGev.

SM: That one's good too. Anytime she sings is great.

ME: "Space Madness," just because it was the first one. It was our defining moment that we were going to keep recording to that criteria of stuff. Like we knew R&S would be funny, and we don't know what the hell it means yet. Then we recorded that song, and then we just kept it going.

SM: If you know Mic and I and the music we've put out...the project isn't really us at all. It's a left field-type project.

ME: It's us when we're out drinking. (Laughs)... a lot of people stress out about lyrics. I don't get it.

SM: You can say whatever you want.

ME: You just got to stand by it.

The 4-piece hip hop sensation Type Relevant hit the studio this summer and came out with one of the best Buffalo hip hop albums I have heard thus far writing for buffaBLOG. Pure Speculation, a title Type Relevant front man Brian Herlihy says was inspired by the darker side of the music industry, the side of all business, image, and preconceived notions about what hip hop artists are suppose to sound or act like, is an album seasoned with multi-genre flair. The guys bring together jazz, bluesy rhythms, rock, and Latin-influenced sounds to produce a global flavor I have yet to hear from any other Buffalo hip hop artist.

Surprising tempo changes and skillfully rendered lyrics, such as in "Mint Chips" make no track boring. Classical instrumentation such as in "Breaking Through," featuring cellist Charlie Bennet, add to the group's multi-instrumentalist appeal. Each track contains an inspiring message, especially for those looking to break into the music industry. "Elevate" contains a simple but right-on message, "Elevate to a higher level." Be yourself, get to where you want to be with hard work, and things will fall into place. The milky vocals in "This Road" provided by songstress Rachel Palumbo provides judt enough sexy feminine edge. Herlihy freestyles like a quick change artist; his lyrics are fast and to the point, because extra verbage is unecessary when rhyming what you feel. The album's phenomenally done. Make sure you give it a listen.
 

The Library, a college hangout nestled within the AMC theatre plaza in the wholesome town of Amherst, is where we meet. I spot Ryan “Arehouse” Howze walking towards the bar, so I follow behind him. I make my way through a bunch of heavy metal hooligans sporting pink hair and acid-washed jeans and biker bros with mohawks scattered about outside. There seems to be some sort of punk rock show going on next door at The Forvm. I get to the entrance of the bar. “I probably should have just waited in there instead of scoping you out like a creep,” I blurt out. Doh. Why did I just say that? But he’s as much of a nerd as I, so my awkward comment rolls off him as he shrugs. We make our way to the back of the bar to a cozy nook with shelves of novels. The lighting is dim and there’s nobody around.

We settle in and get to it. When Ryan begins speaking about what he loves, you can’t really stop him. It’s all esoteric-sounding to me as he throws out terms about syncopation and rhythm, and I just nod like I know what he’s talking about. I let him continue to talk while I gaze at his stunning visage, bathe in his pensiveness, and get lost in his deep-brown eyes as rose petals fall from the sky and tiny bubbles float in a sea of mist. I wet my pants. Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose” plays and I’m mesmerized. Wait, DJs are totally full of themselves. Snap out of it. Okay so that didn't really happen, but I've had my heart broken by a few musicians. What girl hasn't? Oh yeah, smart girls. But anyway, I digress. Ryan's one of Buffalo's more likeable DJ types. He's not the guido-esque Chip Strip DJ that people are probably use to. He's a music nerd, and an actual nerd. Not the social butterfly you'd expect someone working within the Buffalo bar scene to be. Ryan's modest about his craft, always keeping in mind that there's someone ten steps ahead of him. He immerses himself fully in music, holding down a job at Guitar Center where he “doesn‘t make shit" but he gets to fiddle with instruments all day, so it's cool. He claims he‘s not fashionable, although he did show up to our interview in a very clean cut-looking varsity sweater jacket from JC Penney (tag still on, by the way. Totally nerdy. Also, wearing clothes your mom gets you from JC Penney. Totally nerdy.) I'm done ragging. Really though, Ryan's got his shit together. And I was honored to chat with him about his latest moves.

Jessica Brant: I want to know how you got into the DJ thing. Do you come from a musical family? Did that influence you?
Ryan Howze: Well I always played instruments. I played in bands and stuff when I was in high school. My brother was a DJ at the time (DJ Greg "Twist".) So he introduced me to DJing and showed me how to DJ. But I never had any equipment or anything like that. So a few years later, when I graduated high school, like my first year in college, I met a couple guys at the radio station (at Buffalo State College, 91.3 WBNY), and they were all DJs, and I wanted to get into production. I really didn’t want to start out DJing. I didn’t like it. But I want to produce music, and once I started producing music I wanted to find a way to perform my music. So I figured I’ll just do it because it’ll be easier. And that’s how I fell into it. I just met different people and started playing out.

JB: Were you a theatre geek in high school?
RH: Yeah, I was a band geek and a drama nerd.

JB: What was your favorite play?
RH: I mean we didn’t really do anything that I particularly liked. We did “Bye Bye Birdie.” I was Hugo Peabody. I was a nerdy, self-loathing character. I had to play him and it was really interesting.

JB: So it wasn’t a departure for you?
RH: (Laughs) yeah, yeah…

JB: Do you remember your first set? What was that like?
RH: My first performance was at Merlins (now Blue Monk). I played a local showcase with Frosty Tone. They were guys that did Dubstep and drum and bass shows and I got forty minutes to play. And I was so excited and so nervous at the same time. And…I played my little short set and everybody liked it. I played some of my own music and music that I liked. It was really cool to see people react to what I was playing and people were dancing and having a good time and I was the one that was doing it.

JB: How do you describe your sound? I didn’t think you were really big on Dubstep. At the time, was it the thing to be into?
RH: When I first started playing…Dubstep was not the thing to be into. There was a select group of people who really knew what it was…there was only really one or two parties who played Dubstep, but people didn’t like it…but I fell into a group of people who loved it, Mario Bee and the Frosty Tone crew. I got to see a lot of different UK acts come in and different acts around the country come in and come to buffalo and play and dubstep started to get bigger and bigger. I would even challenge different parties. I played the Communist Party, which was all electro house. I would consider myself, to answer your question, a multi-genre DJ…I like to play all kinds of different genres of music. That’s just how I am. But I did start off only exclusively playing Dubstep…I remember playing with DJ Medison at Tigersapien. We opened for them at Pure Nightclub. Medison and I were going back to back and…we played Dubstep that night and it was kind of a bigger deal that we did it for such a long time and nobody thought it was going to go over well but we didn’t care at that point and it actually went over pretty well.

JB: What the Faaaaaaaaa…Sorry my recorder turned off I think…
Potty Break. Okay back to it…

JB: Who are some of your favorite Buffalo DJs?
RH: Mario Bee, Medison, Brotherbear, of course, Buzz Trillington, Criminal Sounds, who helps me a lot with some of my productions. Universally, Heartbreak and Munchi, those guys really help me out with my Moombahton stuff, my slower stuff.

JB: What’s up with Queen City Cartel (Production company he was a partner in)? Are you still a part of that?
RH: They disbanded. We all just sort of went our own separate ways…it was a fun ride. There’s no hard feelings…

JB: What did you do there?
RH: We would book acts and bring them to buffalo, arrange parties. We had a monthly party that did really well called FRICTION. It was at DBGBs. Honestly, We owe them a ton for what they helped us out with when we were first getting started.

JB: Nice, nice. ::gives weird stare:: You still have the tag on your jacket…
RH: Where?
JB: It’s underneath your armpit.
RH: Aw sick ::Blushes and looks at armpit::

JB: So how do I know when I’m at an Arehouse show? What is unique to you?
RH: I always liked higher energy music, even when I played Dubstep…I love syncopation and polyrhythms and a lot of percussive music, that‘s why I‘m a music nerd. A lot of tribal, kind of ethnic sounds, Latin-influenced stuff.

JB: Okay so tell me more about the Halloween costume idea.
RH: Well since I cut my hair (He rocks a frohawk, fro + mohawk)), there's been this joke that I'm going to be the DJ Green Velvet for Halloween and I think I'm actually going to do it. Green Velvet is this DJ that has a neon green mohawk. Black guy with a mohawk and he wears glasses. He's been to Buffalo twice within the past few years.

JB: Sounds like a male stripper name
RH: People have male stripper names. Basha? That's a male stripper name. (laughs)

JB: What are you working on right now?
RH: There’s a night my brother and I started called “Music Love” and that’s going to be at The Bend (on Allen) every Sat night. People have been asking us for years to play together, and we’ve never played together at the exact same time, back to back or anything, mostly because we use different formats. He plays on CDs or records and I always used a computer…but now we’ve kind of found a secret weapon, a way to mix together, and it works out well. I also host an open mic at the Gypsy Parlor on Grant Street every Tuesday night. I’ve always been a songwriter, try to be a singer…I just kind of wanted to add to what Buffalo already has as far as giving people a place where you can go and just walk in with a guitar and just go play. I just want to help out the music scene and help build that up.

And as the night wrapped up, we said our goodbyes, had a few laughs, and I whipped out his headshot. I wanted him to sign it, so and seal it with a kiss, so I would forever remember this day.

As members of the Hutchinson Tech High School Jazz Band, drummer John Hunter and guitarist Brian Herlihy made music the only way they knew how, by shaking up the status quo. “We did our own thing, created our own scene,” said Brian “Relevant” Herlihy. Years later, after several transitions and a much fuller ensemble—bassist Eric Stachewicz and guitarist and key player Stefan Wajda joined the group in 2012—Type Relevant is the healthiest it's ever been, and ready to make their long-awaited comeback with a rejuvenated sound and spirit. The predominant freestyle hip hop group and 2009 Artvoice BOOM award winners will debut their first full-length project in 11 years, titled Pure Speculation, at their album release party tonight at Nietzsche's.

“Pure Speculation is the scrutiny that every artist and band must endure,” Herlihy said. “A lot of the times a venue won’t book us because we are labeled a hip hop act. This is a small example of pure speculation.” An explosion of hip hop, jazz, funk and soul, the album will leave nothing and everything to the imagination, hints Herlihy.”The album consists of variation. Each track is different from the next. Expect in-depth lyrics, soulful choruses and unique instrumentation.” The highly anticipated project will be celebrated with a slew of guest performances, including Buffalo MC and producer Shuteyes, who will be backed by DJ Charlie the Butcher, four-man hip hop collective Prime Example and experimental hip hop concoction Milkfat. According to Herlihy, the party serves as a reward for a year’s worth of laboring away in the studio with his bandmates. “We’re just ready to show what we got.” The party begins at 10 pm. The event is 21+ and cover is $5. 

 

The Greys awaken the spirit of Jimi Hendrix and channel the zainy persona of Tyler the Creator in their first full-length album off of Dead Trash Mob Records, Project Grey Matter, which was released this month after their first EP, All Grown Up, was met with much success in April. From the heavy guitar riff and steady snare beat in “Made in America,” to the dark, apocalyptic mood evoked in tracks like “Mob Mentality,” the 14-track album provides an eerily stimulating experience through grunge, alternative rock and paranormal hip hop sounds. 

Most of the album takes on a horror story-telling tone that thrills and chills the senses as it leaves the listener either on another planet or feeling trapped alone in a dark room only to confront their subconscious. The duo, consisting of Tonawanda-born emcee Ian Cochran (Sparkmatik) and Buffalo lyricist Tré Marsh (Tre Ocho), turn tracks like “The Project” into outlets for deeper discussion through subtle spoken word moments and tell-it-like-it-is lyricism. Bagel Jesus spices up the listening experience by building up the angst on "Trash-Hop." The dark and silly immaturity of "All Grown Up" offers some comic relief among a stressful work day. Weird and catchy, the album is a must-listen.

You may stream and purchase The Greys' Project Grey Matter on their bandcamp page.

At the Nickel City Blend, the crowd size isn't the most important aspect. Beat beautification and promotion is the goal. Inside the brightly lit garage tucked away on Colvin Avenue you'll find a few seats, some professional camera equipment, and a padded wall sprinkled in sharpie graffiti to your right. To your left is a wall covered entirely in records. Sounds like the perfect backdrop for a Pitchfork TV-inspired hip hop documentary, doesn't it? All that's missing is the cast, and this Buffalo crew is anything but ordinary. As they filter in one by one, the blend's creators, Ian Cochran and Nicholas Anderson, hype everyone up for what they anticipate to be an epic sixth session.

Just as Pitchfork TV is dedicated to "documenting independent music as it happens," the Nickel City Blend sessions were created in an effort to not only showcase the duo's personal fortes(Ian with his sound engineering and Nick with his video editing), but to promote local music and bring more exposure to artists yearning to shine through interview-styled recordings and performances. "We had the idea to do interviews and other things and Nick was talking about the old BBC Sessions. Jimi Hendrix and a lot of other famous artists would come and do a studio recording. They would talk about their songs and play something out, just to get the live vibe," Ian said, who goes by the emcee name "sparKmatiK." The project began not too long ago with its first garage session in January. Since receiving a positive reception online and in the streets from local area artists, it was evident that word quickly got around. Nick didn't mind lending out his garage every couple Saturday nights, and Ian didn't mind networking and corralling what fine talent he could find in the city, and so the sessions became a ritual production. A handful of groups have already come through to record, such as Orginality Lies Within, The Greys (sparKmatiK and Tre Ochoa), Mic Excel and Legal the Lifesaver of Essential Vitamins Crew, KamiKaze LTD, and hip hop collective Blackbelt Jones (emcee Spec-ill K, beat master Cove Blackbelt and DJ Optimus Prime of EVC).

The blend session experience is like no other. Expect a heap of absurdities and a lot of laughter. But don't ask too many questions. Well, at least to certain people, anyway. The mysteriously magnetic emcee Spec-ill K made his presence known in his signature black ski mask, which he claims he won't take off for anybody, not even for the cops. "I'm an anti-establishment dude," he said while huddled around the backyard bonfire before the blend commenced. This much is clear. But don't let the blase attitude fool you; the man has a sensitive side. Spec-ill K performed two sets with Blackbelt Jones at this past session held in the beginning of April, one as himself and another as his second persona, "Melancholy," which happens to be the name of his next album, set for release in July. It's also named in memory of his deceased border collie Mickey, who he adored with endless devotion. The cast list, complete with entertaining stories, doesn't end there. You'll run into some even more perplexing but strangely fascinating Nickel City Blend frequenters, like emcee Lelton Marsh, christened "Bagel Jesus" by his hungry and holy disciples for his spiritual journeys up and down Elmwood and Ashland distributing bagels to the needy. "People flock to Bagel Jesus...It's the free bagels, probably," Ian laughed. "I got cream cheese sometimes too," Bagel Jesus added matter-of-factly.

Muhammad Furqan, better known as DJ Optimus Prime, came to do business as usual, but stopped by the fire for a few minutes to chat about the latest Blackbelt Jones album he's working on and how he juggles the standard 9 to 5 job (He works at Tops as a receiving accountant). He puts in at least 50 more hours a week into mixing and scratching tracks for countless artists. Tunnel vision could be detected in the eyes of Cove Blackbelt, who said a few soft-spoken "heys" and headed straight for the garage to set up. Alhough a man of few words, Cove does an excellent job of letting the music speak for itself, and it did just that Saturday night. Friends were welcomed with a "Crispy" introduction from Spec-ill K, followed by some Godzilla city reppin' in "Gojira," a little Kung Fu action in "Ginsu Technique," and a special shout out in "F*ck the World." Spec-ill K packed each verse with ballsy punchlines and riotous party mantras. DJ Optimus Prime brought impeccable turntablism as he always does, and Cove dropped some wickedly crafted, heavy underground beats.

For Nick, that's what the blend's all about. Bringing people together for the sake of making good music. "This originally started out as a mechanism to try to get his (Ian's group The Greys) music heard," Nick said, who recently shot a music video for metal group Low Road Revival. "We decided that we wanted to invite more people in and get more people heard." Nick and Ian haven't got any complaints so far, including from their neighbors. The plan is to continue to soak up the positive feedback and expand the blend into a bigger and better production within the next few months, starting with the seventh Nickel City Blend session on May 4th with Koolie High. Check out the Youtube channel before you come and get a taste of the blend. Come party with this cluster of crazy characters at 612 Colvin Avenue at 9:30 pm. It's free for all, but donations are welcome.

  He said it on his 2004 studio album, A Long Hot Summer, and we'll say it again: "Ain't nothin' like hip hop music. That's why we choose it. The world just can't refuse it." Let that be the chant that ignites warm weather memories amongst your comrades and sends feel-good vibrations through your entire body, as legendary hip hop revolutionary Masta Ace takes you back to the hypnotic beats and classic street corner music of the underground NYC scene of the early 1990s tonight at Duke's.

Brooklyn born and bred, the NYC-based MC got his start in the business as a member of the acclaimed '80s hip hop collective the Juice Crew, whose roster boasts underground hip hop sensations Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Craig G, and Biz Markie. In 1990, his debut album, Take a Look Around, produced two sizzling standout singles, the cooly confident and rock sampled "Music Man" and the cheeky and playfully constructed "Me & The Biz." From there, Masta Ace went on to produce his 1995 release, Sittin' on Chrome, which was met by tremendous commercial success as it made its way to the Top 20 list on Billboard's R&B/hip hop album chart. Emerging from the 1990s as an influential scene stealer, the emcee directed all of his momentum into his 2001 lyrical masterwork, arguably one of his most widely celebrated projects, Disposable Arts, which is most notable for its inventive storyline album concept. Finally, 2012 saw the release of MA DOOM: Son of Yvonne, an album through which he intimately speaks to his mother after her passing.

The 46-year-old Brooklyn emcee is currently on a Canadian tour, and according to Duke's entertainment director JJ Alfieri, the favorite local Buffalo bar is his only US stop. "The tours (old school hip hop artists) do now and the performances they do now especially at clubs like Duke's really revolve around reconnecting with their fans," JJ said, who remembers lively and typical summer strolls down Hertel Avenue and hearing the Masta Ace cult hit "Born to Roll" blasting from cars with their tops rolled back. "We're lucky to get these guys in here." But with such an impressive discography under his belt, who's to say there's really a "Finally" on the timeline of such an accomplished hip hop veteran and man on the move? There's not really. With a constant itch to create, Masta Ace's hustle is unstoppable, and last night he stopped by the recording studio at Nickel City Records in Downtown Buffalo, the brainchild of sought-out, college-aged producer Jamie Catania and director of music Jake Sabers, to produce a special track with some young bucks from the underground, Natural Ingredients. In-studio guests included Prime Example, Koolie High, and Charlie the Butcher (all pictured above with Masta Ace, right.) A passing of the torch so to speak? Quite possibly. Masta Ace will be joined tonight by fellow eMC crew members Wordsworth, Stricklin, hip hop group Natural Ingredients, DJ LoPro and Charlie the Butcher. The show starts at 10 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door. See you there.

Photo by J.K. Media