Ugly Heroes, consisting of Red Pill (Michigan State alum and a native of Howell, Michigan of all places), Verbal Kent (Chicago MC), and Detroit produce Apollo Brown, are getting ready to release their 15-track album on May 21st. It's going to be some real blue collar type rap, and if you ask me that's what Detroit rap is about. Here's a free download for a taste. For details on the release, go to Mello Music Group.
A little late on this one, but this is the first single off the album that OC and Apollo Brown are putting out title 'Trophies' that is set to release on April 24th. Be sure to check it out.
I posted one song from this last week from Finale and Apollo Brown and was able to dig through the rest of this compilation over the weekend. Plethora of Detroit artists do their thing on this and it only costs $7.99 so I recommend the purchase. If I had to pick, I would say the Boog Brown track is my favorite. She's been killing it lately. Check out the Detroit related tracks below. In non-Detroit hip-hop news, Kendrick Lamar has been steadily establishing himself as the preeminent rapper ever since he released 'Section.80' last summer, and the single off his upcoming Aftermath debut 'The Recipe' comes complete with a Dr. Dre feature and helps solidify his status.
If you don't know Boldy James, you get what you need to know from the introduction to 'Take What's Ours' which features Ricky Ross (the real Rick Ross) talking about modern rappers claiming to sell drugs or be a gang member, notably Wayne and Rick Ross. Talking about 'Freeway' Rick Ross (the drug dealer) and the rapper known as Rick Ross can get confusing and it raises an interesting point of character-theft as the drug dealing Ricky Ross has sued Rick Ross over basically profitting off of his life. Of course, Rick Ross' rise to rap fame occurred partially while the actual Rick Ross was in jail, which is something the bombastic music of the rapper Rick Ross never mentions.
And this is where Boldy James comes in. If you're looking for something like 'B.M.F.' or 'Hustlin', look elsewhere as most of his stuff isn't very bombastic, but more ominous (see; 'I Sold Dope All My Life'). Freeway Ricky Ross is seen throughout the video, and while every rap fan can debate the extent of authenticity of every story told through rap and a large part of the genres magic comes from its ability to blend fiction with reality, I tend to believe Boldy James more than most others.
Look out for Boldy James' next project "Consignment: Favor for a Favor" coming soon.
Apollo Brown is such an underrated producer and Finale is such an underrated rapper, particularly flow wise. This song is off the Mello Music Group compilation album 'Self Sacrifice'. I haven't checked out the whole thing yet, but there's some good Detroit stuff on there from the likes of Boog Brown, Black Milk, and some more Finale as well.
There's a nice Odissee track on there too titled 'Slow Down' that's definitely worth checking out. Check out the entire album here.
This stuff has been out for a minute, but both these covers of J Dilla's "Fall In Love" beat are, quite frankly, heavenly tracks. One is a cover from a young jazz group out of Toronto called Bad Bad Not Good. They do a lot of really good hip-hop covers in general (Hard in Da Paint, Lemonade, World Is Yours are all fantastic jazz covers) and I encourage you do check them out here.
Bad Bad Not Good - Fall In Love
The other is a tribute from a couple of years ago, and it is an orchestral arrangement that Carlos Nino and Miguel Atwood Ferguson put together for Suite for Ma Dukes, as they did a live performance and sold records with all proceeds going to Dilla's heirs (if you don't know all the drama behind Dilla and his inheritance, just know that it is a messed up situation). For more information on this project, check out this Stones Throw page.
One Be Lo released his latest work over on Kevin Nottingham this weekend, and it's quite legit. This record is prototypical Mitten music in that it is somehow celebratory in the surveying the dysfunction and destruction that is the majority of southeast Michigan. In particular, One Be Lo speaks on Pontiac a lot in this one. You know, that place where they used to make cars and where the Lions used to play where they now don't have a police department or a democratically elected head of their government. Download it and check the explanation from the man himself over at Kevin Nottingham.
Oh hey, One Be Lo has another album coming out! Kevin Nottingham has the debut and it will be produced in its entirety by the Autocons, is titled K.I.C.K. P.U.S.H. (man, One Be Lo loves acronyms for album titles) , and this is the first single, RAHLO. It's coming on Friday, so watch for it.
Also, Kevin Nottingham has a whole bunch of promotional type things going on for the release such as a One Be Lo 'L.A.B.O.R.' remix contest, a One Be Lo trivia contest, and a real good article where the artist himself delivers the meaning behind his lyrics a la "Decoded". It's good to see One Be Lo getting some shine so check it all out at Kevin Nottingham.
