Local MC and Essential Vitamins Crew affiliate Mic Excel recently dropped a new video for "Dear Prudence," a tribute to the late Beatles singer John Lennon and "every brilliant mind that passed away before their time." With guest vocals from Melissa Coccionitti and a gritty, melodic beat from EVC producers Cove and DJ Optimus Prime, Excel delivers lines about his past, getting older, and wishing he could sing in his typically self-reflective manner. The Mouse Media productions video for the track includes the Buffalo landmark North Park Theater and a vivid reenactment of Lennon's tragic death as Mic Excel is gunned down walking home to end the clip. While it serves as a painful reminder of the loss of a brilliant artists over thirty years ago, the honest lyricism and evocative instrumental make for a fitting tribute to a legendary songwriter.

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.

It becomes clear very early into Obey The Triangles! that it was only a matter of time before MC's Dr.Ooo, Mic Excel and Mario Bee joined forces to make an album that brings together the creative energy of some best talent from the Buffalo hip hop scene. The project, titled The Bermuda Triangle, features the Latin flavored Jazzy boom-bap production from Essential Vitamins Crew's Covert with cuts by DJ Your Mom's. As always, Dr.Ooo delivers countless quotable lines including a rant about silk robes on "El Backyard Fuego," which boasts one of the most memorable instrumentals from the record. Former Buffalo, now New York based DJ Mario Bee makes his presence known with an impressive lyrical debut that along with EVC rapper Mic Excel sounds well suited for the golden age hip hop era sound the project captures. 

By successfully drawing from the past and adding elements of their personalities, the album serves as an important reminder that the genre originated as street art focused on promoting urban culture rather than making club bangers. Other notable tracks include "Aka.the.two.piece.combo." and "crepe.recipe". The album can be streamed and downloaded on the Essential Vitamins Crew bandcamp page.

Our own Tony Rocky Horror has just released for your petrification Buffalo Wiretap, today Friday the 13th, on Steak and Cake Records. An appropriate release date, as there is an Amanda Bynes (that frighteningly familiar "Hollywood pussy") imitation track "Toots" that I know for certain if you don't crack a smile or fall out laughing, you're a monster. Though, it may be considered monstrous to laugh at all. But who are we kidding? It's fucking funny.

No one genre is contained within this album. Tony Rocky's got hip-hop, punk, and grunge mish-mashed within these six tracks, and likely drunken skits spattered along the way.

Beastie Boys-esque vocals add sass to "One of a Kind" along with rapping friend Mic Excel, from Buffalo's Essential Vitamins Crew. A crying baby is the closest I can compare Aaron Coniglio's voice throughout the album- a marvelously intonated baby. Just let that baby cry; he sounds happy to me. Spot on drums from Ken Cult keep the music at a clean and energetic pace, especially for "Friday Night on a Saturday," where the crashing never ends.

The anticipation of a live show is itchy, thinking of the intense reaction a crowd will have to this album. Buffalo moshers will find this album suits their desire to push all show-goers around them the moment Tony Rocky Horror strikes up the first song of Buffalo Wiretap. Listen up, and listen often.

The collaborative nature of the Buffalo hip hop and DJ scenes always makes for an interesting blend of creative talent. Whether it be Dr. Ooo's recent banger, "Womb Raider.," produced by Mario Bee or MC duo Mic & Life's work with fellow EVC producer Cove, the convergence of these-like minded artists consistently results in some of the best tracks released locally.

The latest example of this type of project is The Bermuda Triangle, which brings together MC's Mic Excel and Dr.Ooo with producer Cove and DJ Mario Bee, who delivers a verse on the group's debut single "1983 Remix." The track begins an eerie sample from what sounds like an old documentary before going into the spacey "1983" beat from LA producer Flying Lotus' debut album. Highlights include Mario's verse which contains a shout out to Artvoice and Mic's quotable line "I wanna live my life, my family wants me in a cubicle," along with Dr. Ooo's signature dizzying flow that feels perfectly suited for the wavy instrumental. Listen and download the track below.

The vibrant culture that surrounds Buffalo hip hop will be on full display tonight at The Vault arthouse. Cuts & Breaks is a celebration of the four elements of street art and will showcase the city's finest talent in hip-hop, breakdancing, and graffiti art. Artists performing include Dr.Ooo, Mic Excel, Mad Dukez, Jack Toft, Shuteyes with Charlie the Butcher, Koolie High, Essential Vitamins Crew producer Cove, Keith Concept and Legal the Lifesaver.

The event will also feature a gallery show of the canvas work of various graffiti artists who will get a chance to enjoy the spotlight as much of their work is undeservedly overlooked. With all of the elements of Buffalo hip hop culture coming together, tonight will serve as an important opportunity for the scene to gather and acknowledge their contribution to the local musical landscape.

Doors open for the downstairs gallery at 7pm, with the music starting upstairs at 9pm. Tickets are $10 presale or $15 at the door.

Mic Excel and Mouse Media Productions keep raising the bar when it comes to finely crafted hip-hop from Buffalo. Case in point:  Mic's awesome mix FML Chronicles Part One: Flat Black.

Featuring a who's who of local emcees and excellent production by Cove and Optimus Prime, there is a little somethin for everyone here. Raw, intelligent, laid-back grooves give way to hard edged beats and fantastic samples. The first track, "Eff,Em,EL" sets the mood, as Mic introspectively questions life and the society around him. From there the disc continues to elevate thanks to sound production and thought-provoking rhymes. Other hot tracks include "the Ultimate Supplement", "Fanta Flavors" and "Buillion Cubes".

Keep your eye on Mic and Mouse and Mouse Media. As talented as these cats are they're equally as ambitious. Get this now.

Gotta give it up to Mic Excel and Legal the Lifesaver. Their new track, "Fanta Flavors" has groove for days; hard beats, exceptional MC skills and enough swagger to keep you up for days. Don't believe me? Just check out the video for the song. It's fun, it's in your face, it's hip-hop the way it's supposed to be done...raw and real. I especially dig the breakdancing outside of We Never Close. EVC's done it again.