"A longtime friend of Definitive Jux leader El-P, rapper Murs first appeared as a solo artist in 2003, after nearly a decade of working with various groups in the underground. Based in Los Angeles, his first single was released in 1993, and came from a self-released album by his first group, 3 Melancholy Gypsies. The track barely made a dent, but it did catch the attention of indie hip-hop fans in the area. Through time, the group members became friends with Mystik Journeymen, who asked 3MG (their shortened name) to join them when they started the Living Legends collective in 1996.
Between both 3MG and the Living Legends, Murs rapped on several influential indie rap albums, appearing on more than 20 records, EPs, and singles within a seven-year period. When El-P started to pull together his Def Jux label, Murs contacted the producer and told him he would release his solo record for the company once he had the opportunity. His commitments to both the Legends and 3MG often kept him from working on the album, but after a few years of slowly putting together tracks, Murs finally delivered The End of the Beginning in the spring of 2003.
Featuring flashier production than his group projects, the album was more in tune with a mainstream hip-hop record, though projects with Anticon rapper Slug under the name Felt -- A Tribute to Christina Ricci and A Tribute to Lisa Bonet -- unveiled a more experimental side to his artistry. The rapper returned to solo work with Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition, a collaboration with producer 9th Wonder, in 2004. One of the tracks from that album, "Walk Like a Man," inspired a movie starring Murs himself, along with Damien Wigfall. The soundtrack, Walk Like a Man, also appeared in mid-2005. Murs teamed up again with 9th Wonder to release Murray's Revenge in 2006. Two years later, he jumped to the majors for a contract with Warner Bros., which yielded Murs for President, with appropriately major-label features for will.i.am and Snoop Dogg. Another two years later, Murs reunited with 9th Wonder to make Forever." - Bradley Torreano
MURS website
"Tragedy and Triumph…Two sides of the same ever-spinning coin that rules the game of life. No man can predict when or on which side the coin will land, and peoples’ wildest dreams and worst nightmares come to life with its every flip. Life’s winners are those resourceful individuals who manage to turn tragedy into triumph. The members of Los Angeles super-group Psycho Realm are no strangers to struggle. Sick Jacken with the aid of Cynic (Street Platoon) and DJ FM (Sick Symphonies) emerge as a shining example of solidarity and success against almost insurmountable odds.
Critically acclaimed Los Angeles Hip Hop group Psycho Realm was started by brothers Sick Jacken and Duke in the late 90’s. The group was discovered by Cypress Hill’s front man B Real and was signed to Ruff House/Colombia Records where they released their self-titled debut “The Psycho Realm” in 1997. Over the years the Realm continued on, releasing, two more Psycho Realm albums: “A War Story Book I” in 2000, “A War Story Book II” in 2003, Street Platoon’s debut album “Steel Storm” in 2001, Sick Symphonies present: “The Terror Tapes” in 2006, “DJ FM’s Street Mixes”, and on 9/11/2007 released another classic when Jacken teamed up with DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill to deliver DJ Muggs Vs Sick Jacken Feat Cynic “Legend Of The Mask & The Assassin” which has sold 30,000+ units to date on Jacken’s RMG/Universal imprint.
At the present moment, the group continues to grow as artists and release quality albums into the marketplace satisfying their loyal fan base’s hunger for their style of music. Sick Jacken’s latest installment from the Psycho Realm catalog is titled “Stray Bullets” on his label RMG Street with a tentative April/May 2009 release. This album is dedicated to his past collaborations with artist with whom he shares a common musical bond. Indie heavyweights Evidence, B Real, Immortal Technique, Planet Asia, & Chace Infinite, just to name a few, are featured as well as a few brand new bonus tracks to round out the project.
Sick Jacken is featured on B Real’s (Cypress Hill) most recent solo debut album “Smoke N’ Mirrors” (Duck Down Records) with the fiery joint “Psycho Realm Revolution” reminding true Psycho Realm fans the chemistry B Real and Sick possess as a unit.
Both Jacken and Cynic are also featured on DJ Muggs’s latest Soul Assassins installment titled “The Intermission”. Jacken trades verses with New York based artist NECRO on “Rep Yo Shit” and then teams up with Evidence of Dilated Peoples on the Alchemist produced smash “Classical”. Cynic lends his production ability on “Meet Your Maker” feat: Reef The Lost Cause & Outer Space as well as produced and featured on “World Were In” showing his ability to hold his own as a solo artist. This album is scheduled for a June 23rd, 2009 release on K7/Gold Dust Records.
Future projects that are soon to be in production are: MURS/Sick Jacken Album, PCP, collaboration with B Real, a full length solo Spanish Album, Cynic’s solo debut, & DJ FM’s collaboration album. Psycho Realm independently have nurtured and cultivated a cult following worldwide. Now they’re set to bring their experience & live show to the Rock The Bells/Paid Dues Stage this summer 2009, and continue to build on an already rapidly growing young fan base." - Edited by SAOPP on 22 Apr 2009
Sick Jacken on Myspace
The L.A. underground has many voices, some covered in grit and dirt, some slapping the halt, some hitting high and brassy -- but none ring truer than that of Nocando. A seasoned member of the hip-hop community who isn't content to count his battle scars by the dozens, Nocando brings fresh rhymes week after week at the world-renowned club night Low End Theory where he is the resident host, as well as to a variety of steazy joints all around the West Coast.
With a witty style and open voice, Nocando's raps are unpredictable, funny and lean towards social commentary, although this MC is just as likely to tell you about a wild night on the streets of L.A. as to make a point about the fallacies of the music industry. Brash and confident while also being laid back, Nocando's lyrical delivery is an apt representative of the California attitude. Winner of the MC Battle at the 2007 Scribble Jam, the largest hip-hop festival in the nation, Nocando's mouth often seems to have a life of its own, throwing an excited energy onto any crowd he meets and providing an important connection between the music and the dance floor.
Nocando's debut album, Jimmy the Lock, drops on Alpha Pup Records January 26th, 2010; the initial single "Hurry Up and Wait" has garnered raving reviews from widespread locales and boasts beats from the top of the Los Angeles underground: Nosaj Thing, Nobody, Daedelus, Thavius Beck, Free the Robots, Maestroe, Th' Corn Gang and with scratching by Gaslamp Killer. The MC has also released a myriad of collaborations with artists such as Subtitle, Aceyalone, Murs, Luckyiam, Busdriver, Abstract Rude, 2mex, and many others.
Never afraid to get dirty, Nocando has won (and lost) numerous rap battles. Countless Thursday nights spent spitting freestyle in Leimert Park in the Crenshaw District of South Central L.A. established him as Project Blowed's new school poster boy and a Customer Service hard hitter. The tireless MC has traveled to New York City, Boston, Canada, France, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Japan and many other locations giving international music fans a taste of Los Angeles' main exports: blue collars, brown skies, bright lights, and bullshit.
With almost a decade of active duty in the L.A. beat scene and plenty of battle trophies under his belt, Nocando has earned the respect of peers, veterans and newcomers alike. Unpredictable and vivacious, Nocando will light any night and every crowd with his clever words and dynamic delivery style. With the continued convergence of the hip hop and electronic music communities in Los Angeles and around the world, Nocando is poised to shout his drops from the peak of the movement all the way to the vibrating dance floor of the underground.
Nocando on Myspace
Hosted by
D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik has been compared to artists such as Rahzel the Godfather of Noize, Bobby McFerrin, Doug E. Fresh, and Biz Markie. In addition to the artists mentioned, D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik has also taken the stage with Black Eyed Peas, KRS-One, MF Doom, Busta Rhymes, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Slick Rick, Mos Def, Jurassic5, Dilated Peoples, Public Enemy, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, Rakim, Del the Funkee Homosapien, DJ Krush, Massinfluence, the Roots, Kanye West, DJ Green Lantern, Common, and Erykah Badu. D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik also lent his talents to Open Transport, a nationally-distributed video compilation featuring Pharoahe Monch, Reflection Eternal, and many other underground hip-hop artists.
D.R.E.S. tha BEATnik
$13 in adv, $15 DOS, ALL AGES
THIS SHOW WILL START AT 9 PM AND IT WILL BE OVER BY 12 AM
Advance tickets available @ Ticket Alternative, Criminal Records,
Decatur CD, Fantasyland Records and the following CD Warehouse locations: Buford, Duluth, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville and Roswell.
No comments:
Post a Comment