Hip-Hop, Rap | OnCue – Leftovers 2
Posted by admin on November 29, 2013
What better suited title for the day after Thanksgiving than Leftovers 2? I’ll answer that for you: none. There are no better titles than Leftovers 2. To tide us over until his full length project, OnCue decided last minute to drop the sequel to his original Leftovers series.
The tape is full of the conviction that Cuey has become so well known for in addition to a few lighter-spirited tracks like “Nude”. Features included a few familiar names including Sonny Shotz, Ro Ransom, Skizzy Mars and The Kickdrums and the talented production team was headed by in-house favorite, CJ Luzi.
I’ll surely be bumping this project for the remainder of 2013 and I recommend you all hit the download and do the same. Toss OnCue a follow on Twitter if you’re feeling the tunes!
Hip-Hop | The Kings Dead – Honest Abe
Posted by admin on July 18, 2013
Coming off of the release of their mixtape Return of the Beast, the duo known as The Kings Dead has unleashed their newest single titled “Honest Abe”. Continuing with the darker sound they seem to have adopted, Alex Mendoza gives rapper, Sonny Shotz, a canvas to paint a picture of the music and culture that currently surround.
It surely has not been an easy return for the band since their several month hiatus, however, with releases like this one I imagine it’s only a matter of time before The Kings Dead have regained the buzz they had a couple years back. According to their website, it won’t be long before these kids hit the road once more, so be sure to catch them in a city near you!
Hip-Hop, Videos | The Dean’s List – Birth [Music Video]
Posted by Grubeats on June 18, 2012
[do action=”youtube” videoid=”PBenpy_0cHM”/]
The Dean’s List stay on course, delivering another new video off their debut album, Generation X. The second track on the album, or “the calm before the storm” rather, orchestrates the beginning stage of our generation’s journey, with a powerful opening verse from Sonny which read’s as follows,
“And im the reason all my friends have something to believe in
I know its superficial but my mood fits the season
Im colder than I ever was and better than the better man
As simple as that sounds you should really let it settle in
The calm, right before the storm and but I know its cliché
But take a shot for, take a shot for being born”
With that, celebrate the small things we often overlook in life. Sonny Shotz is the king of introspection. He speaks truthfully in every song and very few artists can really represent a generation like The Dean’s List have begun to do. My only hope is that before the next project, we have a video for every track off #GenerationX because that would be one hell of a movie. As always, shout out to FTS Creative for another fine job behind the camera. This video will have your head spinning; literally.
Purchase on iTunes: The Dean’s List – Generation X [Album]
Hip-Hop, RnB | Sid Sriram – Elevate ft. Sonny Shotz
Posted by Grubeats on May 15, 2012
You may recognize the name, Sid Sriram, from his feature on The Dean’s List debut album, Generation X. Honing his powerful vocals from his bodacious hook on “Youth”, Sid slows it down and delivers a more soulful and almost trippy track. As expected, Sonny returns the favor, lending a feature verse on this new track. It’s safe to say there will be plenty more collaborative work from these two in the future.
Also, if my memory serves me correctly, I heard Sid was a roommate of Mik Beats (of The Dean’s List) freshman year at Berklee, which is where this relationship first began.
DOWNLOAD: Sid Sriram – Elevate ft. Sonny Shotz (Prod. by Sid Sriram)
Hip-Hop, Videos | The Dean’s List – Take Shape [Video]
Posted by Grubeats on April 19, 2012
[do action=”youtube” videoid=”h3v_H9G2NQQ”/]
Although Vevo prematurely released this video back on April 3 when Generation X hit digital shelves, the video was quickly pulled and saved for a release earlier this week. As most of you probably know by now, The Dean’s List recently delivered one of the top hip-hop albums of 2012 in “Generation X”, a comprehensive journey of life. Beginning with birth, Sonny, Mik, & Mendoza share their story thus far with a track for each step of the journey. “Take Shape” focuses on the point where recognition sets in and their careers begin to come to fruition. Sonny laces up with his Hendrix looking wig as FTS Creative shoots some trippy visuals for this light party anthem. My question to you is, who has the best costume?
Purchase on iTunes: The Dean’s List – Take Shape
Albums, Hip-Hop, Videos | The Dean’s List – Generation X [Album]
Posted by Grubeats on April 3, 2012
[do action=”youtube” videoid=”EfPj5OcIWAM”/]
Just over a year ago, The Dean’s List took the blogosphere by storm with the release of their highly successful and career defining mixtape, The Drive-In. Prior to that release, the Boston trio consisting of Sonny Shotz, DJ Mendoza, and Mik Beats had released a haphazard mixtape, Undeclared, on iTunes with hopes of collecting some coin for their 100% in-house work. If you ask them, they will likely all agree this wasn’t the right move, but luckily they recovered control of the wheel and drove-in to their self dubbed genre, “It’s The Dean’s List”. With infusions of hip-hop, pop, electro, classic sampling, an offering of unconventional bar and song lengths, placed them in a lane of their own.
While The Drive-In instilled the mentality of “F it I’m young” into the ears of its listeners, Generation X takes you on a journey through the come up The Dean’s List have experienced thus far. I have not listened to the project in full yet, but I did just contribute to its rise to the #1 spot on the iTunes charts. From what I have heard of the project, I will say Mik and Mendoza have taken their production to the next level once again, offering up an organic blend of all different genre’s while Sonny continues to deliver first string lyrics that are far deeper than the rap. For anyone who appreciates up and coming art, invest the $11.99 in this album and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. If you’re still skeptic, go ahead and download The Drive-In for free and listen from start to finish.
Above, is the video for “Youth” featuring Sid Sriram (ironically Mik’s roommate from freshman year), shot and directed by Elan Alexenberg of FTS Creative, one of the best at his craft. This video depicts the message behind the song to a T, stuck in between being a kid and fame.
Special shout out to the whole Dean’s List roster along with Dani Ummel (the bodacious vocals behind “No Sleep” off The Drive-In), who makes 5 appearances on this album.
Purchase Album on iTunes: The Dean’s List – Generation X
Hip-Hop, Videos | The Dean’s List – The Dream [Music Video]
Posted by Grubeats on November 30, 2011
[do action=”youtube” videoid=”6ncRBKURa24″/]
The Dean’s List released this video for “The Dream” off their 2011 mixtape, The Drive-In, earlier this week. Setting scene on the road and sharing some footage from their recent journey on tour, Sonny takes it into the vacant wilderness to recite these powerful lyrics. FTS creative have been making some very impressive videos lately and are honestly giving Rex Arrow a run for his money. The Dean’s List have been releasing visuals for new tracks as well as singles off The Drive-In for several months now, but expect an announcement for their next project, Generation X, coming very soon.
DOWNLOAD: The Dean’s List – The Dream