A while back, yU, one-third of Diamond District, released his solo effort, Before Taxes to critical acclaim. At that time, Gotty described the man’s music like this: “When I listen, I don’t hear ‘what’s next’ when he rhymes. Instead, there’s traces of “what was” and that is well-crafted rhymes, founded on some semblance of intellect.” Sounds about right to me. Read the rest of this entry »

First and foremost, thanks to all that entered the yU “Before Taxes” Giveaway. While we couldn’t bless everyone with goodies, three lucky cats will be receiving free goods. The second prize winner is Thaddeus Y. of Freemont, CA. Thaddeus will be receiving receive a signed CD copy of yU’s Before Taxes and a vinyl version of the album. The third prize winner is Andrew K. of Philly and Andrew gets a whole bunch of stuff out of the TSS goodie bag.

But for the big shebang, the grand prize winner is Pythian W. of Chicago. He’ll be receiving a signed copy of yU’s Before Taxes CD as well as a vinyl copy of the album plus the NikeID “Before Taxes” Dunks.

Respect to yU, Diamond District & the Mello Music Group for putting the giveaway together and our good friends Dan & Michelle @ Audible Treats for helping to make it all happen. Make sure to check out yU’s solo album Before Taxes and show your support by purchasing a copy.

RMF!

– Basketball is a team game (how else do you explain this dunk?). But similar to how quarterbacks & pitchers absorb the losses in their respective sports, the wins and losses fall on the star’s shoulders.

– Tila’s bringing real Hip-Hop back one DJ at a time & David D. will be there to capture it all for our enjoyment.

– Relive our adventures with B.o.B & peep his album review. Read the rest of this entry »

Reminder: Make sure your name is in the hat. Enter to win yU’s “Before Taxes” Nike Dunks.

RMF!

yU, one-third of the celebrated group Diamond District, recently released a new solo album, Before Taxes, released April 13th via Mello Music Group. To celebrate and promote the release, yU and Mello Music Group are putting together a giveaway to award one lucky fan & TSS reader the opportunity to win a special, yU “Before Taxes” customized pair of Nike Dunks. Once the winner has been awarded, the Dunks will be customized using Nike ID and sent along according to the winner’s shoe size. Yep, free shoes! All you have to do is sign up below using legit info so that we can contact you once you win and then process your order. And if you’re really game, send us a photo of you rocking the kicks. Read the rest of this entry »

Constantly bombarded with what every artist/manager/publicist hopes is the next thing, I’m always looking for and listening to a healthy dose of boom-bap that may not agree with everyone’s tastes. But I think anyone who listened to Diamond District’s In The Ruff last year will cosign how thorough it was. Right on the heels of the group’s critical acclaim, one part of the DD team, yU, has released his solo effort, Before Taxes, and it’s ripe with similar sound patterns but perhaps more gritty & conscious lyrics.

“I sing a song of truth, courage, and respect/Jumping out there like Geronimo, we stand up for that/And our plan of attack is straight Cherokee strategy/You can kill me, but you cannot kill my legacy…”

When I listen, I don’t hear “what’s next” when he rhymes. Instead, there’s traces of “what was” and that is well-crafted rhymes, founded on some semblance of intellect. Read the rest of this entry »