Interesting visuals and definitely not what you’d expect from listening to the song. Read the rest of this entry »

Mistah F.A.B, Zumbi (of Zion I), Kosha Dillz, & Others – Freestyle Video from MZ on Vimeo.

Probably the nicest thing about SXSW is that artists are just walking around the street and are completely approachable. With so many people around and endless networking opportunities, they’ll practically give anyone a few minutes of face time. Read the rest of this entry »

The group Zion I have been underground stalwarts since they first joined forces back in 1998. With Cali native AmpLive handling the production duties and ATL transplant Zumbi on the mic, the duo strike a balance of social commentary and party vibes on their sixth album The TakeOver. By keeping everything in-house save for a few choice guest spots, the duo keeps the show moving at a nice pace on this succinct and enjoyable album.

Normally when the word diverse is used to describe an album’s production, it either means that the artist got a few tracks from each coast’s producers du jour or continuity is sacrificed for the sake of appearing to step out the box. AmpLive successfully blends together regions and genres of music seamlessly so that the listener’s ears aren’t jarred from track to track. On “Gumbo” he gets to flex his chops dolo, by starting out with a lively New Orleans Brass Band sound before transitioning into an electro/drum n’ bass mash-up. His use of live instrumentation throughout gives the album a warmth that’s missing in most of today’s digital landscape. Read the rest of this entry »

Gimmie. A. Break.

On the underground tip, Zion I have been holding down the Earthquake State for awhile. So why, after ten years of developing their own unique steez, do they have to sink as low as completely biting The Cool Kids? Read the rest of this entry »