Chi-Town production duo Nez and Rio team up with fellow Windy City emcees Naledge of Kidz In The Hall and The Swopes on the hazy, synth-driven, “It’s Yo Birthday.” The laidback vibe evokes thoughts of breezy summers, and not the impending blizzard-filled winter for which the Midwest natives are likely already prepared. Read the rest of this entry »

We over here at The Smoking Section consider ourselves major along with everyone else we associate with. Our friends DJ RTC and Virgil Solis over at Ruby Hornet recently got pinged by Bing to discuss the principles of friendship and how they continue to boost their brand. Read the rest of this entry »

When you make a bomb ass dinner and don’t finish it all, you don’t throw it away; you have leftovers. And after all those ingredients and seasoning soak in the food overnight, there is a more desirable meal awaiting you the next time your stomach starts growling. Consider Rockie Fresh’s The Otherside Redux his premier audio cuisine revamped, Read the rest of this entry »

The road to a song’s creation is one of my favorite things to witness in music production. So it’s no surprise that Kidz In The Hall’s first Brain Candy flick caught my attention. In it, Double-0 wipes some dust off this Little Anthony and The Imperials’ “Hold On To Someone” sample for “So Amzin’” and throws in some panache via the MIDI controller and the Yamaha keyboard. Read the rest of this entry »

In his essay The Talented Tenth, W.E.B. DuBois reasoned that one in ten black men would rise to be leaders in the world & that in turn more classical education would be needed to help them reach their potential. Raleigh, NC duo Actual Proof, Sundown & Enigma, are striving to carry on that line of thinking after fittingly meeting at 9th Wonder’s Hip-Hop In Context course at N.C. Central University. Read the rest of this entry »

Words by C. Paicely

While rookie Rock’s first video swept through desolate alleys and avenues, the Chi-town young gun’s latest effort throws us into one of the Windy City’s dimly-lit Hip Hop spots. Joined by Naledge and Phil Ade, we see Rockie rocking a crowd of hazy Caucasians and cuttin’ up with his blazed cohorts backstage, all the while maintaining his increasingly expected lackadaisical demeanor. Read the rest of this entry »

Words by C. Paicely

Rockie Fresh teases us for months with bits and pieces of an upcoming project, and now he’s rewarding us with a holiday gift for all our patience. A dope ass mixtape. Thanks, Rock.

On The Otherside we are presented with an unpolished rapper spiting over polished production from The Cartoonz and the contrast is strangely refreshing and endearing. On “The Worth,” electric guitar riffs echoing behind him, Fresh rolls through compound-syllable rhymes with a matter-of-fact ease that almost dwarfs the beautifully composed music. The intro track, “A.C. Green,” showcases Fresh’s ability to smoothly ride a bass-driven trunk-pounder with clarity and refreshing crudeness, while the clever “Sofa King Cole” displays Rock’s wordplay wizardry and swagger-filled delivery. Even the month-old “Living” feels brand new when tied into the well-sequenced string of songs that make up the mixtape.

“What’s the Hurry” introduced Rock as a rhyming recluse shrouded in darkness, and that aura continues to resonate throughout The Otherside. Fresh is resigned to the solitude that comes with progressing beyond his peers, and flawless production combined with monstrous gusto from the slick-spitting Chicagoan make this free mixtape feel like an organic work of art.

See for yourself and stream/download The Otherside by clicking on the player below.

Words by C. Paicely

Two months ago, when Naledge gifted us with a mixtape on his twenty-something-ith birthday, song four should’ve been in bold print. Hearing the college-educated Chi-town vet team up with the city next door’s golden boy of grit was a wet dream for any fan of Midwest Hip-Hop. Hackneyed as it may be, the “Player of the Century” title fits the song like a Trojan. “P.O.T.C.” doesn’t feel like the wildly overdone self-labeling we’ve seen in Hip Hop. The term feels inviting, especially when Naledge and Gibbs tell us they’re “feeling good, feeling great,” before asking, “How are you?” Read the rest of this entry »

Words by C. Paicely

“I’m busy makin’ moves, and the only time I fail is when I fail to lose.”

A few weeks ago Rockie Fresh was strolling the streets of a strangely desolate Chicago, solitary, unwanted, but unrelenting in his self-confidence. He successfully pulled off “lonely at the top” without being anywhere near the so-called top.

That attitude of entitlement lingers in the new cut, “Living,” but this time Mr. Fresh ditches the lonely Chicagoan visage. Just one fiery verse from Naledge reminds us that the Windy City is still a Hip-Hop metropolis full of pissed off deep thinkers who couldn’t care less about red suits and crowns. The whole project is glued together with a hook that’ll float around in your head long after your earbuds and eardrums part ways. There’s a strange paradox going on here, as the anthem-like quality makes the chorus invigorating while the overall tone remains chill, almost hypnotic. Fresh made immaculate use of his resources on this one, and churned out what I would call a “feel good” song. It feels good to know this dude actually has friends and a promising future.

Oh yeah, props to Phil Adé for closing the door nicely with a hilarious 50 Tyson.

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Download — Rockie Fresh Feat. Naledge & Phil Adé – “Living” (Prod. by The Cartoonz)

Rockie’s upcoming mixtape Otherside, which drops on December 16th presented by 2DopeBoyz and produced entirely by The Cartoonz. For more info, check out his official site, Rockieml.com.

Considering how intelligent they claim to be, Actual Proof should have known the elongated guest-list on their “Super Genius” remix would be a double-edged sword. The inflated title track to their upcoming release, Genius: The Talented 10th, this 9th-Wonder-produced middle-of-the-pack mega-mix shines with its array of punchlines from the next generation of young, starving artists. Read the rest of this entry »

It may be Naledge Born’s born-day, yet he’s the one doling out the gifts. The Windy City native linked up with Aphilliate DJ Moondawg for his Twentysomething mixtape to celebrate the occasion. Much like The Land Of Make Believe, Twentysomething is a celebration of that transitional place between 25 & 30. Read the rest of this entry »

In Hip-Hop, like every where else, there are those who set the bar and then there are those who fail to hit the mark. Columbus native L.e is aware of this and wants everyone to know which side of the line he stands on his latest project The Measure. Read the rest of this entry »

For a track called “Lifestyle Excessiveness,” the formula for success on this nifty little nugget is pretty simple. Read the rest of this entry »

The allure of fame and stardom has drawn many a man in for a chance to bask in their glow. With two nondescript albums under their belt, Kidz In The Hall have attained varying degrees of both as they’ve navigated through the music industry. Realizing that success is a journey and not a destination, Naledge & Double O continued to hone & refine their respective crafts. So for their third album, the duo chronicled their own path as they trek through what they like to call the Land Of Make Believe. Read the rest of this entry »

Actual intelligence is an undervalued aspect in Hip-Hop. The art of fabrication, or artificial intelligence however, seems to dominate a listener’s perspective and conception of the culture. As an artist, you’re allegedly supposed to uphold certain guidelines as to maintain the characteristics of actually being an artist. But what if you’re able to see the gray area and highlight the color associated it with it? Then you’re probably a member of Kidz In The Hall. Read the rest of this entry »