Only 2 Days Left to Vote for PyInfamous!!!

(comic courtesey of Jackson artist Justin Schultz)

What's good everyone?

We are on the home stretch in Coors Light's Search for the Coldest MC-there are only 2 more days to vote for Jackson's own PyInfamous. As you know by now, Py has been declared the South's coldest MC and is in the final four nationally. If he wins, he gets to play a show at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.

If you haven't voted yet (shame on you), then go to www.searchforthecoldest.com and do so now. Vote multiple times by clearing your cookies between votes. It is just that simple.

Before you do that, check out a feature on PyInfamous in this week's Jackson Free Press.

Here is a video of Py performing in Atlanta at the Coors Light South show on May 25th.

NOW GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!

Check out some videos and the VOTE FOR PYINFAMOUS!!!

What's up everyone? We are into the final week of voting for Coors Light's Search for the Coldest MC. Our man from Jackson, PyInfamous, is in the final four as the winner of the South region. Please go HERE to vote for Py and help put him, Jackson, and the state of Mississippi on the map.

Don't forget to click HERE to read an exclusive interview with PyInfamous.

In the meantime, check out a couple videos that will help you make your decision to get out and vote. Thanks for reading, and check back often this week for more updates and videos from Py's friends.

Py's acting career debut.

A message from 7even:thirty

Vote for PyInfamous NOW!!!

Starting today (June 10) and running through June 17, you can, no, you MUST go to www.searchforthecoldest.com and vote for Jackson’s PyInfamous to be named Coors Light’s Coldest MC. Py won the South region with his song “Bliss (Cooler Than This)” featuring Kerry Thomas. Out of hundreds of submissions, voters elected “Bliss” into the top 40, where celebrity judges Pac Div, DJ Khaled, and Bryan Michael Cox hand-picked the final four region winners. On May 25^th, Py got the chance to perform “Bliss” in Atlanta as an opener for N.E.R.D. and Pac Div; the performance was taped and you can see it, along with the other regional winners, at www.searchforthecoldest.com.

For the next seven days, the fates of the regional winners is are in the hands of the people, as the overall winner will be elected purely by popular vote. What’s at stake? Other than getting to hold the crown of the Coldest MC for the entire next year, the winner gets to perform at the Essence Festival in New Orleans on July 2.

Now, it is no secret that this blog stands firmly behind our brother PyInfamous. As a loyal reader of this blog, we highly suggest that you go to the site, check out the other finalists, and vote for Py. If you need more convincing, here is a free download of the song that got him to the finals:

“Bliss (Cooler Than This)” featuring Kerry Thomas

If THAT isn’t enough, check out this exclusive interview we got with the South’s Coldest MC. I had to wear a sweater.

What motivated you to enter “Bliss” into the contest?

The hook for “Bliss”(I insist. This is bliss, so tell me of something cooler than this.//This is us, and I trust the cool that we pursue is a must.) seemed to go well with the theme of the contest, and it felt like the most palatable for a large group of fans with Kerry Thomas singing on the hook and the beat being a more melodic sample. Even with all of those things, I had no expectations of winning the contest. It was done more as an afterthought as anything else, but it seems that people really dig the record.

What do you like about working with Kerry? In what ways do you help each other and play off each other musically?

Kerry and I have done a few songs together. He has hooks on two of my songs, and I have verses on two of this songs. Kerry works a lot like me in that he allows the instrumentation of the music dictate what it is he does to the song. A lot of artists already know what they want to say because it’s what’s popular or what they think people want to hear, but neither of us works like that.

I think that we vibe off of each other’s energy when we work on a song. I had already recorded “Bliss” and I played it for Kerry. He started singing over part of the hook, and I knew I had to get him on it. He took the song to another level, which is a big way that we help each other. It’s the idea of synergy – the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Why do you want to win? What will it mean to you at this point in your musical career?

When I entered the contest, I didn’t even know what the prizes were. After being able to open for PacDiv and N.E.R.D. in Atlanta, I’d love to be able to rock with them without being constrained by the need for parity in the contest (I couldn’t have a DJ or additional performers in Atlanta). The day the rep from OurStage.com called and informed me that I won, I immediately thought this would be a more significant win for the State of Mississippi and the City of Jackson (and Crystal Springs!) than for me. I really want people to realize that there are great musicians here who happen to make hip-hop music.

I do a whole lot of other things, but music is what I’m most passionate about. I’ve been thinking what the next few years would hold, and winning the South region has reinvigorated me to a degree. After performing in Atlanta, I saw that a diverse group of people could rock with the music. Most of the shows we do are for “hip-hop heads,” but there were folks who wouldn’t identify with that title rocking with me. That showed me a lot.

What does all of this mean for Jackson and Mississippi in a larger sense? Do you think that if “Bliss” wins, when compared to more traditional mainstream songs, it could begin a change in popular tastes?

People throughout the nation can see what we are intellectually, musically, and spiritually rich in Mississippi. All too often, we receive titles that reflect our lack of resources or lag in development. However, we have always produced some of the greatest academic, creative and musical minds. Unfortunately, those people don’t get recognized until they leave Mississippi. The fact that someone from Mississippi who still lives in Mississippi can get recognized on a national level for a song that doesn’t necessarily fit the framework of what’s popular on the radio right now is pretty significant in my eyes.

I don’t know if one song can shift popular taste. That change would have to also come from the top, and unfortunately music executives are more concerned with profit that quality music. I do think that a win will do two things.

First, it will show aspiring artists, particularly young artists, that they can make the music that they want to make and be successful. Too many artists simply try to reproduce what they hear in an attempt to make something popular, but that has never been the way great art is made. Artists have always been a separate part of society that contributes to the larger body. Now, the larger body dictates what artists make, which is essentially backward.

Second, it will show fans that there are talented underground/independent artists making quality music. Hopefully, that will spur fans to seek out artists more and more. It seems that many hip-hop fans have lost the desire to search for good music because there is so much mediocrity out there. If they see “Bliss” pull out a win, it will mean a lot for artists like Skipp Coon, Coke Bumaye, Lexx Black, Secret Jones, Moses Rockwell, Hassaan Mackey, Super Smash Brothers, 5th Child, 7even:thirty, and others.

Tell people why they should vote for you.

A vote for PyInfamous is a vote for the South. It’s a vote for Mississippi. It’s a vote for Jackson. It’s a vote for good hip-hop music. If you feel positively about any of those, you should vote for “Bliss” in the Coors Light Search for the Coldest Competition.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR PYINFAMOUS!!!!!!

Check back often, because we will be hitting the blog heavy for the next week with all kinds of downloads, videos, and other special treats to celebrate PyInfamous as the South's COldest MC. And don't forget, VOTE!!!!

(Do What Diddy Say)

PyInfamous Finalist for Coors Light's Search for the Coldest MC!!!

Jackson's very own PyInfamous is a finalist for Coors Light's Search for the Coldest MC competition. As winner of the South region, Py is in the final four nationally and has a chance to perform at the Essence Festival in New Orleans on July 2nd when he wins. We will have a number of blog updates as the final online voting gets closer (June 10-17), including an exclusive interview with the man himself.

In the meantime, check out these links real quick to see what's up with the contest and to register to vote for Py.

Coors Light Search for the oldest MC site

Act Live Blog write up on PyInfamous

Check back soon for a whole lot more information on the contest and ways you can help one of Jackson's best get some big time national shine. Peace.

Catching Up with Mr. Fluid

If you have been around the hip hop scene in Jackson for a minute, you probably have heard of a dude named Mr. Fluid. But, you probably remember him as Verbal. After a few years in Colorado, Mr. Fluid is back in Jackson and is gearing up to rock the stage at Generation NXT at Dreamz this Sunday (click the link on the right of the page for more info). I caught up with Mr Fluid and we talked about all kinds of stuff. Check out the interview below.

BIO:

Mr. Fluid, born as Michael Norris, is one half of the Hip Hop crew Company of Strangaz which includes himself and DJ Kaotic, both originally from MS. In 2005, Company of Strangaz released New Day, their debut album that featured hard and soulful beats from NY-based innovator in drum n bass and trip-hop music, DJ Wally. Their sophomore release, The Vitaminz EP stayed true to their New York influence but a more organic sound with DJ Kaotic on production. While Fluid plans to release a mixtape soon, the latest project is a solo album by Mr. Fluid entitled Magnolia Magnificent, dubbed as a tribute to his home state. Being that both previous albums were released while living in CO, Mr. Fluid returns to MS with a concept album full of fresh sounds and new ideas. The bulk of production on the new album is executed by Fluid himself and shows an entirely different style of doing things than his previous work. Magnolia Magnificent is soulful, gritty, danceable and serious at times. The album includes guest appearances with Punchline, Kamikaze of Crooked Lettaz, Big Rube, Melatone, and Illabobcain. The album is a dedication to his roots in Jackson, MS where Mr. Fluid, also known as Verbal, made his rounds as a spoken word artist and began to emcee around 2001. Magnolia Magnificent is released 10 years later and uncovers a more mature artist hinting at new styles.

I know you were out of state for a while and just returned. Where did you go and why did you come back? Did you do music while you were gone?

I did move to Colorado in 2004 to get out of Mississippi for a while and see how life was outside of the "Bible-belt". I have a love-hate relationship with the south, as many people do with home sometimes. Also, I wanted to do music elsewhere and check out other scenes and see new things. DJ Kaotic and myself moved close to the same time and released two albums, collabed with many Colorado artists, did a lot of shows, and had much time to grow as artists. I came back however because all my family is here in MS and like that Crooked Lettaz song says, the south was on my mind. You can never escape struggle and you shouldn't try. It had been weighing heavy on my heart to give back somehow and to do that I felt I should come home. I felt it was time to return on a personal level and also I didn't feel quite finished with what I wanted to do here musically. I've seen far too much talent in Jackson and felt so much inspiration to not return, this state made me who I am and in a lot of ways so has Colorado.

Tell the blog about your music. What's it all about? What inspires you?

My music is a hybrid of NY Hip Hop and MS bounce with many other genres being picked up along the way, kind of a snowball effect. What I hope I'm accomplishing is something to be respected long after I'm gone. I wanna change lives but also have a lot of fun doing it. I want you to think but not so much that you can't dance to it. Most of my inspiration comes from what I read probably more so than what I listen to. People tend to turn away when music is too preachy, so I tend to walk a thin line at times. My fans, I suspect are like me and gravitate toward something important being spoken rather than the norm of just agreeing with what the last guy had to say. I highly respect the law of "No Biting!", so I'm always trying new sounds. You'll hear many styles on my album but always with a Boom Bap center and a message.

Who are your favorite recording artists, in any genre?

I listen to a lot of King Tubby, Easy Star All Stars, Mobb Deep, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Operation Ivy, Rancid, Wu Tang, Outkast, Killer Mike, Goodie Mob, A Tribe Called Quest, Leela James, Portishead, Guns N Roses, UGK, Brother Ali, Elvis Costello, The English Beat, Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, the list could go on without any particular focus because I like to switch it up. Different genres for different moods but mostly Hip Hop gets me amped to get up and move.

What projects do you have coming up?

I have a mixtape in the works with DJ 360 to promote my album, and of course the album itself, Magnolia Magnificent. You can keep up with progress by searching "Michael MrFluid Norris" on Facebook, "MrFluidFilms" on You Tube, and searching "Mr. Fluid" on Reverb Nation (or, just click HERE).

What do you want Jackson to know about you?

Jackson should know that it's the reason I fell in love with Hip Hop in the first place and that it left a lasting impression with me with Seven All Arts, MS Vibes, 90.1's MS Cipher, and many other open mics and venues that allowed me to grow and my love for this place and the people has brought me back. I'm excited to be home again and can't wait for the opportunity to return that love.

Thanks for reading. On your way out, check out a couple videos. Peace.

Rashad Street Interview-Download New EP "Who Am I?"

As you read here last week, Rashad Street just recently released his brand new EP, "Who Am I." The EP is is the second release in a trilogy, which includes his previous effort "The Most Unknown" and the forthcoming "I Am Rashad Street."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "WHO AM I' AS WELL AS MORE FROM RASHAD STREET

The Blog caught up with Rashad Street last week, and we talked about the EP, as well as a few other things. Check it out.

(Rashad Street performing live at Back to Basics at Suite 106 in February. That is the lovely Ms. Rashad Street in the background)

This EP seems to come from a personal place for you. Tell me about that.

This project is the result of what I've seen & what I've been through this past year. It's really been a GOOD & BAD year for me!!! GOOD (music wise) & BAD (personal). Some people don't realize the power struggle between the MUSIC & LIFE beyond music. So I just tap into some issues of my own & spoke on them through music.

This is the second part of a trilogy. What was the first part? What are you saying with this trilogy? What is the last installment?

The 1st installment was "The Most Known Unknown" which was a mixtape or a medley of tracks from previous & unreleased material. "The Who Am I EP" is the follow-up, which is showing me finding myself through music. The last installment will be titled " I Am Rashad Street" which will bring everything full circle. In order to understand, you have to go back!! So go get "The Most Known Unknown"!!!!

You say you do this for the love and for the people. How do you make sure you keep doing that? Why is that so important to you?

The "People" I give reference to are those who don't have a voice. The everyday, blue-collar, "go hard for they money" type of people. Anyone that's been counted out, that's who I speak for!!! The "Love" is what insures that what I'm doing means something to somebody other than myself!! So with that being said, every show, every song, I'm going to give you the best of everything I have!!! Because people need to see that!!! I want you to believe that what I convey in my music is real!!!

You did the majority of the production on the EP. How do you feel when you are in the studio making beats? Is this something you see yourself doing more of moving forward?

That's the greatest part for me!!!! I love new sounds & working with other producers. That's where it starts for me....with the beat!! I believe that I won't put the mic down ever because that's where I began. Although I do want to get more in tune with the production. We'll see!!! Stay Tuned!!!!

Extended Interview with 5th Child

As we reported earlier, 5th Child released his new album last week. So far, it is getting great reviews and he is even offering for FREE download for a limited time. CLICK HERE TO GET IT!

A few weeks before the album dropped, I got to hang out with 5th for an extended interview about the album. We sat in his studio and he gave me a song-by-song breakdown of the album, the meanings behind the songs, and the process he went through to make what he and many others feel is his best work to date.

So, go download the album, sit back, and read about the album in the words of 5th Child himself, with a few of my opinions thrown in as well.

The state of Mississippi is a musical Mecca, having produced some of the most well known and well respected artists in the world: Robert Johnson, B.B King, Malaco Records, Trumpet Records, and the Mississippi Mass Choir are just a few of the names that put Mississippi music on the map.

Yet, when it comes to hip hop, the state has had relatively few representatives in the mainstream. Of course, David Banner immediately comes to mind, especially his album with Kamikaze, Grey Skies that introduced the world to the soulful yet hard-edged Mississippi sound. More recently, Big K.R.I.T., from Meridian, has thrust himself into the popular consciousness with his blend of dusty, sample-based beats and southern-twanged braggadocio rhymes.

Beyond Banner, Kamikaze, and K.R.I.T., however, Mississippi suffers from stereotyping by many hip hop fans that says music from the state must be club ready, gangster-dance pop that appeals to the lowest common denominator. And, sometimes stereotypes are true, as a sizeable amount of the hip hop music produced in the state falls within these parameters, as some artists make concerted efforts to play into stereotypes in an effort to please listeners, and, more importantly, it seems, the people, like record executives and A&R reps, that can make careers.

Breaking the mold of these stereotypes is a group of artists from Jackson, the capitol of Mississippi. The city boasts an eclectic mix of hip hop artists that are more a throwback to the days of heady production, heavy rhyme skills, and socially conscious edge. Leading this charge is 5^th Child, Jackson’s premiere double-threat producer/MC. On May 13, 5^th Child released his fifth album, the self-titled “5^th Child.”

“5^th Child” is the third concept album in a trilogy, which includes his previous two efforts “Behind the Music” and “Pianos in the Dark.” “Behind the Music” was a complex examination and critique of the music industry, and found 5th in a “celebratory” mood, with college graduation looming. “Pianos in the Dark,” with its gloomier soundscapes and darker subject matter, represented 5^th’s “transition into adulthood, where you learn that most things you were taught about the future were not true,” he says. His inspiration for the title was a vision he had of a black pianist alone in a white jazz bar at the end of the night who knew “he was getting played.” 5th began to question his role in the hip-hop game, wondering what it all meant and where he even fit in anymore.

“5th Child,” the album, provides answers to the existential questions he faced. “The new album is about self-actualization and not trying to find explanations for everything anymore. It is about realizing and accepting who I am wholeheartedly,” he says. “I finally learned how to be 5th Child.”

On the record’s opening track, “Introducing,” 5^th says to the listener, over an intentionally “epic” swath of horns, synths, and haunting atmospherics, “One might say this is the moment you’ve been waiting for, but for me, more than that, it’s the moment I’ve been living for.” From this point forward, the listener is taken on a journey down 5^th’s path of “self-acceptance. I’m ready to be that dude,” he says.

“Feeling Good” is one of only five tracks that 5^th Child did not produce himself. 5^th’s mentor and “big brother” from New Orleans, Dappa, made the beat and offers a verse. On the hook, 5^th declares, “I’m feeling good/Cause finally I made it/My gas tank is full/And my life is so amazing.” If, as 5^th says, he is “trying to pull himself back up with this album,” then he seems right off the start to be comfortable with his newfound happiness.

5^th produced “Run,” the soulful first single off the record that represents the journey he has taken to get to now. “Run” features singing from Houston-native Cello. “I originally sang on it. It sounded bad,” 5^th says. “As a producer, I know what I’m looking for, but I am not entirely sure until I hear it. When I got a tape of Cello singing, I knew that was exactly what I wanted.”

5^th’s production has progressed to be less sample based, as he is becoming more familiar and comfortable with crafting his own beats and melodies. On “Gifted,” though, he samples pianos, horns, and a breakbeat to put underneath his playfully braggadocious rhymes. Similarly, 5^th borrows from Memphis Bleek for the hook of “I Wanna Be,” saying, “I got to sleep with a picture of a Porsche on my wall, man I’m trying to come up on ya’ll.”

“Franchise,” which features a well-placed verse from fellow Jacksonian Rashad Street, is an homage to the ladies. “Now that I’ve been playing more shows, I make songs to be performed live,” he says of the inspiration for the song. The banger “Stand For” might sound a but out of place, but 5^th has a perfectly good explanation: “I do one ridiculously hood song on every album. I came up listening to conscious, underground music, but I’m still from Jackson.” The song features a verse from his show DJ and close friend, DJ PM.

“Relax,” produced by Cincinnati Monster and featuring Trumpcard, is the smoothest track on the album, coming across as the music in a chill room somewhere in outer space. It is part of 5^th’s effort to “hit all of my character traits” on the album. The sample-heavy “I’m Ready” finds 5^th Child in “stream of consciousness” mode, stringing together “random punch lines” to explain all the ways he is “ready to be that guy.”

With “Bedtime Story,” 5^th takes his biggest risk on the album. “This song is really close to my heart, because I don’t normally do many story songs,” he says. In “Bedtime Story,” 5^th is faced with tough decisions about what to do to help a friend that is involved in darker sides of the game. “I thought, ‘what if I die in it.’ It happens in the movies and is always cool,” he says. 5^th went to great lengths to make the song “sound perfect sonically” and to continue the cinematic theme he began in the beginning of the record. As such, “Bedtime Story” serves as the sonic climax of the album, where all the themes and progressions in 5^th’s sound come together.

“8 ft.” was written after 5^th heard the beat produced Jackson’s Donche. “I heard it and thought, ‘I need that beat.’ It’s always easier to write to a beat someone else did for me,” he says. “Chapter 2” is 5^th’s most self-reflective moment on the album. He made the dark, stirring beat then let it tell him what the song should be about. “Chapter 2” centers on a friend who “lost his podna about a week ago,” allowing 5^th to examine his own reaction to loss and sadness as a reflection of his own self-absorption that causes him to be an absent friend.

The guitar heavy “My Culture” shows 5^th ready to stake his claim. He raps, “Big K.R.I.T killin ‘em, Banner went platinum/So I’m gonna take it over as soon as I get a crack at ‘em.” With “Breaking Point,” 5^th delves into his “issues with society.” He wrote the song around the time of the situation in Egypt, which influenced both the lyrics of the song and his decision to experiment with drum patterns that are outside his normal comfort zone.

“Free,” produced by C Donche and featuring the second apperance of Cello, is a spiritual song, as God is always an important topic for 5^th. Further, “Free” is for 5^th a chance to get “into the next phase and become a better song-writer and using my voice as an instrument.” 5^th rides the beat, changing up his cadence for a fresh sound that offers a glimpse of where his rapping might be headed in the future.

“5^th Child” ends with “Anything,” which features a verse from Jackson. 5^th raps, “I gotta keep it moving/For the first time in my life/I’m not afraid of what I’m doing/I’m never looking back never looking at obstacles/I Know nothing’s impossible.” For 5^th, the song “sums up the entire album. It’s my Simba moment: Yes I am the King. It’s like when Bruce Leroy got the glow,” he says laughing.

And in all seriousness, it is refreshing to see such honesty from a hip hop artist these days. While many have no problem telling you they are the best, very few give you a look at the struggles it takes to get there, including the self-doubt, personal questioning, and casting off of demons that 5^th Child went through to accept himself. In the end, this is what makes “5^th Child” even greater than the sum of its parts: the rare glimpse inside of the mind of an up and coming artists who is not afraid to turn himself over to the listener.

Thanks for reading. We have all kinds of updates on deck, so keep checking back often.