By DJ Fusion
What’s good Planet Ill crew!
After a bit of a mini-hiatus due to having to handle some things, it’s time again for your regular Indiesent Exposure installment – the weekly writeup that provides FREE quality music downloads & info about Independent Music artists of different genres who deserve serious credit for keeping things lively & non-cookie cutter status in the world of music.
Post by post, Indiesent Exposure is set to give your ears some temporary respite from some of the daily audio wackness, boredom and/or iCoonery that bombards the masses through the mainstream radio and TV airwaves’ definitions of Hip-Hop, Rock, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Rock, Reggae, House, World Music and more.
If you like what you hear & download up in this section, PLEASE support (monetarily and otherwise) these artists as much as you can in the future – hit up their websites, purchase some product, go to their shows, etc.
This week’s Indiesent Exposure gives light to a fantastic full-length comeback project from a legend in Washington, DC’s Hip-Hop scene along with 2 great documentaries about different creative & business cultures of the music industry.
If the average listener just believed the mainstream music video channels and radio stations these days, folks would think that rap music from the DMV pretty much begins and ends with Maybach Music’s Wale.
While he’s a part of the mix, that assumption about the DC, Maryland and Virginia Hip-Hop community is very far from the truth.
There has been a diverse and vibrant music community representing the Washington, DC Metro area on the mic through both major and independent music labels for years.
One of the early representers of that scene is Joshua Paul (a.k.a. Black Indian).
Since his early work with Infinite Loop & Earthbound Clique in the early to mid-1990s, the MC later started coming more into his own on the mic via collaborations with the internationally renowned Freestyle Union and Opus Akoben crews.
After going on a hiatus after going through the Politics of the Business – signing with MCA/Universal Records, having hits off the Get ‘Em Psyched album, dealing with Industry Rule #4080 nonsense, then deciding to take a temporary break from music for personal reasons – Black Indian dropped some more independent albums and now has his latest mixtape release out for heads to check out with I Tried To Tell You.
Presented by one of our Indiesent Exposure alumni JUDAH, I Tried To Tell You isn’t a dusty, ill-fitting piece of audio that tries to coast by on glories of days past or another paint-by-numbers collection of random rap tracks.
The 14 track mixtape displays an artist who has grown in both skill and musicial creativity yet can still rock with the best of them.
This is music from a cat who was on the rough side of the tracks whose grown up & has an expanded worldview – actual Hip-Hop from a cats whose grown up but isn’t grumpily waving their cane at the young heads coming up.
Find out the latest and greatest that’s happening with Black Indian directly from his official Twitter page, http://www.twitter.com/Black_Indian_DC.
Black Indian – I Tried to Tell You (Presented by JUDAH; Mixed by DJ RBI) (Download)
Tracklisting:
1. I’m Back (produced by Philopadaumus)
2. N.W.O (New World Order) *
3. We From The Bottom
4. Skit (Freestyle Union, plane to Europe) (Produced by Theory)
5. If Life
6. Times Have Changed *
7. Amen
8. Dedicated (Produced by Kokayi) *
9. Compliment Me feat. Chayes (produced by Slim Kat 78) *
10. Skit (Signed at 15) (produced by Theory)
11. I’m A Vet
12. On My S*** feat. AWOL
13. Cocaine (produced by J. Scrilla)
14. Suited Up *
* Personal Favorite Tracks
Music Video #1: Black Indian – Suited Up
Music Video #2: Biz Markie Feat. Black Indian – …And I Rock
Music Video #3: Joshua Paul (a.k.a. Black Indian) Freestyle @ Rap Corner (D.C. Youth Advocate)
While going through music submissions a few weeks ago, I was hit with this mixtape from WPGC’s DJ Heat.
Having played some of Pro’Verb’s music before on my radio show for the past few years (solo tracks and joint where he did a guest appearance), it was a no brainer to check out what was good with the DC area MC’s latest release.
While You’re Waiting… is full of tight & well thought out lyrics, quality original production that keeps heads nodding and enough diverse subject matter which combined an stand up mixtape.
Sticking out of the norm in the “daily downloads” era of music where it feels like anyone with a computer and a mic can drop mediocrity, Pro’Verb has dropped a solid project with While You’re Waiting… that plenty of recent projects haven’t had lately – replay value.
It’s a good listen & look for not just the DMV Hip-Hop music scene, but indie Hip-Hop in general. Check this joint out and see what’s worth waiting for.
Get more into the Pro’Verb’s creative world over at his official Twitter Page, http://www.twitter.com/AllProAllDay and cop some extra tunes over at his BandCamp page, http://AllProAllDay.bandcamp.com.
Tracklisting:
1. Intro [prod. J Scrilla]
2. Do It for Us (feat. Katrina Bello) [prod. Saint John]
3. Can’t Forget About You (feat. Reesa Renee & RAtheMC) [prod. Grussle] *
4. Write Brothers (feat. Lyriciss) [prod. Mark Henry] *
5. Caught You Lookin’ [prod. Saint John]
6. Vertigo [prod. Saint John]
7. Gravity *
8. Dreamin’ (feat. Tiffany Harley) [prod. EQuinox Professionals] *
9. Don’t Get Mad Get Money [prod. The Brand]
10. Too Hip Hop (feat. yU of Diamond District) [prod. Soulful!] *
11. Exhibit P
12. County (feat. KT & DC Don Juan) [prod. Kokayi] *
13. @ALLPROALLDAY [prod. Bout Dat Money]
14. Glory *
* Personal Favorite Tracks
Music Video #1: Pro’Verb – DMV Hero
Music Video #2: DC’s Pro’Verb at 2009’s Budweiser Battle
Music Video #3: Lyriciss & Pro’Verb Perform “Faders” @ Asylum in DC (2009)
Lastly to wrap up this week’s article, I got to thank the folks over at the great free movie documentary site, SnagFilms, for providing free streaming of two valuable and entertaining indie music documentaries to check out.
Sit back, view and enjoy!
DJ Fusion’s E-Mail: djfusion@planetill.com (Back Up: blackradioisback@gmail.com) with the Subject Line “Planet Ill Indiesent Exposure”
DJ Fusion is the creator and co-host/mix DJ of the syndicated FuseBox Radio Broadcast (hit up http://FuseBoxRadio.podomatic.com for the radio show archives + podcast and our overall official site at http://www.FuseBoxRadioOnline.com) which has been dropping Black Radio vibes since 1998 and the blog BlackRadioIsBack.com, two areas trying to fight audio B.S. one day at a time…check folks out around either way when you can. 🙂
Feel free to touch base with a sis on the Twitter Expressway at http://twitter.com/FuseBoxRadio.
If you dig the music vibe I’m on & want to download some free mixtapes from the FuseBox Radio Broadcast/BlackRadioIsBack.com collective, hit up my Bandcamp page over at http://FuseBoxRadioBroadcast.bandcamp.com.
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