New Video - KMF Entertainment Presents: Stalley 330 Homecoming Show

Peep out this new video drop from the homies over at CreMedia Productions. Absolutely incredible. My full interview with Stalley is coming soon. This was a promo video the Crem crew did for KMF Entertainment.

CreMedia Discription: Massillon, OH native Stalley came back home to the Lincoln Way Theatre to perform for his hometown and people from all over the 330. The event was thrown by KMF Entertainment, interview conducted by PaulMeara.com, and the video produced by CreMedia Productions. A Special Thanks to Stalley, The Blue Collar Gang, and KMF Entertainment for hosting a historical event.

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Mearablog Podcast: William Parker Interview

FaithWalk Films producer William Parker joined me to talk about the latest movie he's producing, The Last Party on Earth and more. You can see the full podcast episode Here, on YouTube, or check it out in the iTunes Music Store search: The Mearablog Podcast.

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TruHype (2nd Edition): Chuuwee Interview

Chuuwee is a 21-year-old Sac-town emcee whose buzz is growing rapidly and after dropping nearly 15 mixtapes, his hard work is finally paying off. 

He resembles the sound of the golden era, reminding fans that the glory days of Hip Hop haven’t gone anywhere. His smooth delivery and lyrical content are definitely noticeable at first listen.

Chuuwee’s talent has caught the attention of emcees like Brother Ali and Evidence, as well as legendary producers like The Alchemist and 9^th Wonder. 

Recently signing to Amalgam Digital, a legendary independent hip hop label in its own right, Chuuwee's journey has only begun and many think he already has the ability to become legendary. His EP Crown Me King will be available on April 24th, and his LP WildStyle will be available on May 24th.

PaulMeara.com recently talked to the Sacramento emcee about his religion, standing out in the new landscape of the west coast, his latest work and more.  

The west coast hip hop scene is booming; what do you feel sets you apart from the rest?

Chuuwee: I feel like me being directly in tune with the 90’s sound, not trying to say that I made it, not labeling my music as the 90’s. People just feel it, that’s what I feel sets me apart from the rest of west coast MC’s

How does being Buddhist impact your rapping?

Chuuwee: I feel like it plays a heavy role and keeps me with a clear mind. Keeping a positive mind state to continue writing, it’s very positive. It keeps me writing and it keeps me less stressed, if anything.

You recently signed to Amalgam Digital; what factors made you decide to sign with them?

Chuuwee: It was me working with them already and respecting what I had going on, they were respectful of my mind state and previous business.  Eventually they took everything I did and added a boost to it. It came with a higher level of success and reaching out to more people.

When did you realize that your music was receiving a lot of attention?

Chuuwee: I believe in 2009, because I jumped on a contest Talib Kweli Hosted; I sent one of my songs to the listed e-mail to be on “The Year of the Blacksmith” mixtape, and when it dropped I got more recognition. Also, dropping a “Hot ‘N Ready” with Lee Bannon helped a lot as well. 

What was the first song you’ve ever written, and what was it about?

Chuuwee: First song I ever wrote was called “Green Sleeves”; it wasn’t about anything, I just wrote over Mozart beats.

You’re in a collective called TUS; when did you form as a collective, and what’s the reason behind the inspiration of it?

Chuuwee: TUS is “The Usual Suspects” and it started because we wanted recognition and trying to build something by being Sac-Town MC’s. A lot of south sac MC’s weren’t active or they were somewhere else, whether it was another city of locked down. TUS didn’t get much respect until we showed people that we were serious. TUS is our way of showing other people that there’s dope talent in south sac. We got inspiration from another Sacramento collective named “The Neighborhood Watch” and we got inspiration from that.

Your mother, Ms. Redd, helped a lot with inspiring your sound, but was there anything specific she did to create your interest in Hip Hop?

Chuuwee: My mom never hid anything from me; my parents kept me somewhat sheltered as a child, but music wise they let me listen to a lot. I don’t know how other people were exposed to music, but my parents listened to a ton of different sounds. Also growing up in Sac and being from Texas helped a lot as well.

Have you ever thought about quitting rap?

Chuuwee: Yes, several times.

You have an LP dropping at the end of May entitled “WildStyle” on Amalgam digital; what can fans expect from it?

Chuuwee: They can expect classic music; it honestly sounds like a day in the life of the 90’s. It really sounds like it’s from the golden-era of hip hop.

- Kamron Bahani

Listen to music by Chuuwee

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Album Review: MC Forty & Wonder Brown - "Walking Words"

The latest chapter in Cincy’s widely slept on Hip Hop tale includes MC Forty and Wonder Brown’s latest album Walking Words. Consider this a little teaser because Forty’s about to drop his solo effort produced entirely by DJ Clutch. Wonder Brown is set to release his album with Cas Metah as the duo Darke Bros. This album is free and is produced by Wes Pendleton (Illect Recordings signee).

The album starts off with Rollin, a strong introductory track to the album. The guitar riffs in the beat make this one a definite repeat. The track also features Sean Little who also released his album VS a while back, all three emcees murder this beat. Right off the bat, Wes Pendleton had some real dope beats on this album and you can actually find some of them on his album My Life Complete.

The middle four tracks of this album are personal favorites. To be honest, this album is MC Forty’s coming out party and Off The Track feels like an interlude where Forty showcases his skills and let the listener know what he’s working with; the track is filled with clever lines and if you weren’t totally sold on the young emcee beforehand, this track should do it.

The second single off the project, Express This Vision is your classic love song with Wonder Brown laying down an amazing hook and with both bringing some heartfelt rhymes to whomever ladies are in their lives right now. Tryin is the favorite song on the album. The album is mostly chill, tongue and cheek rhymes, Tryin deviates from that and adds some serious to the project.

At the end of the day, this was a solid project, it’s the perfect album to keep you tided over until Darke Bros and Forty’s solo album. This album is a really good introduction to MC Forty. He has a lot of potential, keep your ear pressed to the ground for him. Wonder Brown continues to show his prowess as a veteran in the hip hop game, the weird thing is the homey has yet to drop a solo LP. If that doesn’t say something about these two guys, go download this album for free.
- Michael Stover

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Mearablog Podcast: Torae Interview

Brooklyn Hip Hop emcee Torae joined me on The Mearablog Podcast to talk about his latest drop "For The Record," the positives and disappointments of SXSW and Torae also says he believes New York has lost its identity when it comes to new Hip Hop music. You can see the full podcast episode Here, on YouTube, or check it out in the iTunes Music Store search: The Mearablog Podcast.

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HipHopDX: DJ Haze Speaks On The Status Of Black Wall Street, Relationship With Game

The Brooklyn native talks about his recently released "The Color Purple LP," his relationship with some of the top emcees of the past few years and producing in an ever changing sound climate. Peep my full DJ Haze exclusive here. Also visit the Online Journalism Endeavors tab for all of my HipHopDX articles.

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Album Review: Copywrite - "God Save the King"

Copywrite has made a name for himself as a battle-rapper, but as of late, the Columbus emcee has decided to live his life in a more spiritual manner. God Save the King shows his growth in a nutshell.

On Swaggot Killaz, Copywrite takes his place as a monster on the mike and can probably rip your favorite radio rapper to pieces. Copy is full of clever punchlines and quoteables. He also brings along Mhz emcee Jakki Da Motamouth. While battle rap music is prevalent in this release, the album is almost the perfect definition of balance.

After the battle-driven Swaggot Killaz we get a more personal and introspective track in Sorrow, which features Don Jaga and Columbus colleague Illogic. This track is easily a favorite on the album. The beat, produced by Stu Bangas, fits the lyrics of Copy and Illogic to perfection. On this track we get a look into his life and you can hear the struggle that he’s had dealing with the death of his parents and other life problems.

The only real criticism of the album was the Yo! MTV Raps track, it didn’t really seem to fit in with the project. While Copy ripped the last verse on the track, the rest of the track just felt out of place.

On Workahol, Stu Bangas returns with another amazing beat with Copywrite coming in and ripping the beat to pieces. This track is battle-rap track is infused with the underground emcee’s anthem.

A Talk With Jesus is another favorite track. It's a great way to close out the album. If you haven’t been informed, Copy, for a while now, has been turning his life toward Christ. This track stands for the crossroads, it illustrates Copy talking to Jesus. A Talk With Jesus is the loudest on the album. Copy is questioning things that we all have, from how to handle enemies, what success really is and more.

God Save the King is a dope release. People have complained about how many guests are on the album but Copy brought a decent number of people and wasn’t overshadowed by anyone. The production was on point and the there was a good balance in lyrical content. I don’t know what’s next for Copywrite, but God Save The King is a hip-hop fan’s album, if you like Hip hop, you will enjoy this record.
- Michael Stover

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