PyInfamous IS the Coldest MC!!!

As you remember, Jackson's PyInfamous was in the final four of Coors Light's Search for the Coldest MC contest. After voting ended last week and the final count was made, our man Py came away victorious. Now the rest of the nation is aware of what us in Jackson have known for a long time: PyInfamous is the truth and one of the best in the game, on any level.

A special shout goes to all of you that voted for Py last week and helped spread the word. It was truly amazing to see what we could do as a movement for hip hop, the south, and Mississippi when we put our energy together to achieve a goal. In a music business where the good guy and the most talented hardly ever wins, it is a breath of fresh air to see one of the best get his respect on the national stage.

We have some exclusive music coming up from PyInfamous in the following days. In the interim, check out some of these links about the win.

Ourstage, one of the sponsors of the contest, posted this yesterday. As it turns out, Py won commandingly, with 45% of the total vote. CLICK HERE TO READ

Atlanta music blog Disclosed Native did an interview with PyInfamous. CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

And, if you are in a celebratory mood like the rest of us, join us all tonight at Suite 106 for The Coldest Celebration Ever!

Again, huge congratulations to PyInfamous and bug thanks to all of you that gave your time and energy to get this thing done. Peace.

New track from Marcel P. Black

Friend of the blog, and recent Back to Basics performer Marcel P. Black, has dropped a new single, "Rashid," the first release from his upcoming "iLuv H.E.R. too" project, set to drop on August 30th. Marcel says about the track: "The project is a dedication to the fans of mid 90's Hip-Hop, inspired by non other than the legendary Common's seminal "I Used To Love H.E.R." record. The intro to the record, "Rashid", serves as an homage to Common, and as a nostalgic look at a host of emcees, as well as Yo MTV Raps & Rap City ."

Download "Rashid" for free by clicking HERE.

Download more of Marcel P. Black's Music HERE.

In the meantime, check out a video from Marcel P. Black.

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.