j-a-v-i-s:

Niko Villamor | Flasm

Kill-off flow!

In the Hip Hop culture, finding an Alpha Male with bad bitches and plenty of riches is like finding a light skinned vixen for your video - easy.  But finding an emcee with lyrical talent and the confidence to offer a glimpse of his true self is rare.  Blctxt Contxt is one such artist wtih a new project to offer such a glimpse.  A Smart Black Boy: The Sonic Inception weaves thought, heartache, determination, and daily struggles with bomb beats from King I Divine, J Haze, Illastrate, Siraaj Encore, Swiff D and features from Naira, Free Pharael, Venus and Dipp.  We had the chance to speak with the emcee before his EP dropped on October 11.

TBR: You started out as a spoken word artist.  Do you have any plans to do a spoken word album or perform solely as such?

BLCTXT CONTXT: There have been offers from the homies to do a spoken word only project. I am not against it at all it would just take time since I’m in ‘Song Mode’ now. Solely performing spoken word is an option but not at the moment since I’m rocking with King I Divine as my DJ for these dope shows.

TBR: What is your process for writing a new song?

BLCTXT CONTXT: Song writing has to be an organic process for me. I have to enjoy the music my lyrics are gonna be written to. Really, a good vibe is all I’m looking for and the rest will fall in line. Don’t wanna give the idea that this song was forced to happen because then the finished product comes off stale.

TBR: Journalists and fans love to label and compare artists.  How would you describe your sound and yourself as an artist?

BLCTXT CONTXT: My sound…right now my sound is all Hip-Hop based with other musical influences. These influences help me create and bring other ears to the table that would not usually listen to Hip-Hop. So really my sound is just Hip-Hop, no labels to add neither before nor after it. However, I would like to coin the phrase “contxt clues” but time will tell with that.

TBR: Atlanta has been a go-to hit maker for the music industry for some years now but the underground/unsigned scene has a lot of gems.  How do you view the city from an unsigned artist perspective?

BLCTXT CONTXT: My view on the unsigned here is exactly that, A Treasure Chest. A part of me feels like unsigned artists in Atlanta are in Davey Jones’ Locker, limbo if you will. We exist here because we want to show the world what we have to offer but getting exposure on a massive level almost takes an act of the gods.

TBR: Your last mixtape, Acknowledgment, dropped 2 years ago.  Since then, what artists and albums have you been listening to for inspiration?

BLCTXT CONTXT: Wow, I don’t think y’all want this post filled with fifty’llemn artists!!! I’ve been on my usual hunt for music since 2009 and its fun as it’s always been. First of John Coltrane and Marvin Gaye are always in the mix. Then we have Clan Destined, Boog Brown, Black Spade, Ghostpoet, DELS, Claritta Durand, Thurzday, King I Divine, Illastrate and Muhsinah.

TBR: For your latest EP, A Smart Black Boy: The Sonic Inception, did you have a clear direction for the sound and feel or did it emerge while writing and recording?

BLCTXT CONTXT: Not a precise sound exactly. I just wanted to build a bridge where listeners could cross from my existing sound to the new sounds that I was into. The end result is awesome to me and I feel as though I achieved my goal.

TBR: You’ve done a lot of work with producer King I Divine.  How did that relationship come about?

BLCTXT CONTXT: King and I used to work in the same building on different floors. A mutual friend of ours wanted us to collaborate and we’ve been cool ever since then. Funny thing is, I thought he couldn’t stand me when we first met!

TBR: Some of the songs cover very personal material.  Was it difficult to create those songs?  Why now with this project?

BLCTXT CONTXT: There was definitely much difficulty when writing both “Infinity” and “god Bless…” I think it was because I was at my most venerable state when creating them. Even though it was a challenge to be 100% open, the timing just felt right to put these songs out. My purpose was to show how I could divide my thoughts and my feelings and combine them in one project. 

TBR: What are your favorite songs on the EP?

BLCTXT CONTXT: Since I’m choosing just one song I’ll take “god Bless…A Smart Black Boy” as my favorite. This song fits me for where I am in my life. This is going to sound almost impossible but I love every song for different reasons. I told myself that I wouldn’t produce a project where I didn’t like each song and this is that project. I stand by all of the music on A Smart Black Boy.

TBR: Now for a little fluff: what is your favorite cartoon from now and childhood?

BLCTXT CONTXT: X-Men was my all time childhood favorite. Now I’m into Adventure Time. I know they’re not super heroes but I dig the wackiness of the whole show.

Click the above photo to download Blctxt Contxt’s A Smart Black Boy: The Sonic Inception.

So today is Broken Record artist Niko Villamor’s birthday. In honor of his birthday, he has released his newest album Inertia. Click the pic to download your copy today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKO!!! :) 

(Via AleonCraft.com) Mothership: The Decatur Connection is a collaborative project between funk legend, George Clinton, and creative, hip-hop/funk artist, Aleon Craft. Mothership: The Decatur Connection is a musical creation consisting of elements from: Aleon Craft’s Mothership Decatur, The Parliament’s catalog – including, Mothership Connection – and original recordings from both Aleon Craft and George Clinton. Paul Forrest, SMKA-affiliate, is the chief producer behind Mothership: The Decatur Connection and was tasked with taking all of the pieces from Craft and Clinton and creating something unique that reflected their style and vision. Mothership: The Decatur Connection is an exciting mash-up project combining two very different artists, both with an exceptional creative process. The project is presented by SMKA & Funkprobosci.com and is scheduled to be released in 2011.

“P-Funk was basically just a giant collective of musicians with rotating membership, so this project feels perfectly natural to me,” say Paul Forrest. “It’s like Craft has just gone back in time and linked up with George, and company, on the Mothership Connection to make a sick album. There are times when the Mothership Decatur choruses’ sounds so much like P-Funk vocals that I’d forget I was listening to a mashup.”

Aleon Craft has always been captivated with, and heavily influenced by, George Clinton & Parliament. Craft and Clinton first meet in 2005 during a time when Aleon Craft was better known as Big Marc of Da Backwudz. Clinton recorded a verse on Wood Work, the southern duo’s debut album released by Dallas Austin’s Rawdy Records. “I was raised, respecting the funk, the whole funk, nothing but the funk,” Craft says. “So it was only right that the Funk Gods aligned me and George, again, to create this project. The funk is still alive, and we will never let it die…”

Craft’s 2011 project, Mothership Decatur, paid homage to Parliament’s 1967 release, Mothership Connection, fusing southern hip-hop and funk into his own brand of music called, Solar-Hop. After reaching out to Clinton, and explaining his desire to create a mashup project between Mothership Decatur & Mothership Connection, Aleon Craft learned more about the long history of legal battles involving copyright infringement and publishing embezzlement that George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic have relentlessly fought throughout the year. P-Funk, one of the most sampled groups in history, has amazingly lost most of the profits generated from sampling due to copyright (sample) trolls and questionable legal representatives. After discussing the project in more detail both artists felt that this would be a perfect opportunity to create a unique project, and possibly help P-Funk and hundreds of other funk artists in their constant fight with copyright infringement.

George Clinton is currently engaged in major court cases that could critically impact the future of copyright laws for the entire music industry, as well as motion pictures and related media.

Bosco has finally returned with a new project!  Released yesterday (8.17.2011), Pacer is a 6 track EP produced by Dogbite, a member of the band Washed Out.

The album tells the journey from Atlanta to California in a 1978 Teal Pacer thats translated through soundcapes, ambient, textured vocals and melodic instrumentation. During this voyage the two will experience their fate through life, love, lust, and desire. Though Dog Bite produced majority of the EP, Ira G produced two tracks. Pacer includes Bosco flipbook with videos, exclusive baby video, and music.

Click on the picture or go to boscopacer.com to download the EP.  The download also comes with access to 4 videos.  Enjoy!   

Stargazing…

It’s time to stargaze and check out why this Broken Record artist is so great! The highly anticipated mixtape is finally HERE! Click on the mixtape cover to download it for yourself and experience the true craft of Aleon Craft…

We’ve been giving you sneak peeks at Stanza’s newest project and it is now HERE!  Click on the album cover to download and being your search for greatness…ENJOY!