Hip-Hop, Videos | The King’s Dead – Mighty California [Music Video]
Posted by Grubeats on September 26, 2012
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One of my person favorites off The King’s Dead debut project, “Jerusalem, is now here in visual form. Aziz and Alexander have always been involved the production of their visuals and now that they are represented by their independent film movement, Vérité Films, they played an even more instrumental role in the creation of “Mighty California”. Co-Directed/Produced by Elan Alexanberg of FTS Creative, The King’s Dead once again creates a spectacle of creativity.
“The “Mighty California” Video was inspired by Salvador Dali’s first movie “Un Chien”. The confusing non existent sense of time the film portrayed inspired Aziz Francois to create his own modern day version. A blend of Al Pacino’s “Scarface” and Dali’s “Un Chien” come together to create Mighty California. A Story about Aziz escaping two prostitutes who hold him hostage in a hotel, until he escapes
Hip-Hop, Mixtapes, Videos | The King’s Dead – Jerusalem [Mixtape]
Posted by Grubeats on September 20, 2012
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After going through a fast few months of rebranding, The King’s Dead, a subsidiary of The Deans List is here to present us with their debut mixtape, Jerusalem. Upon first listen I was a bit skeptical of the new venture, with a heavy focus on the artistic aspect of their craft, I wondered if the new music would be too abstract for some of the early adopter Dean’s List fans. After listening through since Monday, I can now say that I only respect the art, but also recognize the progression of their music. Sonny Aziz never ceases to amaze with the depth and knowledge behind his lyrics, sometimes even leaving me wondering what exactly he’s talking about. Do you understand French? Mendoza Alexander have continued to adopt new sounds in their production. Infuse fragments of rock, electro, and even dubstep into their Dean’s List work and you have Jerusalem. It’s safe to say not one of their beats have even sounded similar.
Personal highlights thus far: “Sour Apple Rich Girls”, “Mighty California”, “Hennessy at Cookouts”, & “All Finished”. The King may be dead, but this Boston trio is very much alive.
DOWNLOAD: The King’s Dead – Jerusalem [Mixtape]
Hip-Hop | The King’s Dead (The Dean’s List) – Hennessy At Cookouts
Posted by Grubeats on August 20, 2012
If you’re still asking yourself what exactly is going on with The Dean’s List and this whole “The King’s Dead” thing, wonder no more. A move to rebrand their group, The King’s Dead represents a more artistic distribution channel which is represented by their newest venture, Vérité Films. Aziz, Alexander, and Mik are no strangers to popping bottles, but the trio also enjoy a sophisticated glass of cognac. With Mik and Alexander on the beats, Sonny once again administers two thorough verses for his generation, highlighted by a hook reflecting their journey thus far;
“White girls and Kool Aid, Hennessy at cookouts, Old gangster movies, New neighbors move out, And we did it all with no conscience hopping fences up and go cra-zy, Were young enough to be stupid, don’t mean dumb enough to be la-zy”
The King’s Dead free album, Jerusalem, (which, despite the name, will not be a religious reflection in rap form) will be hitting your laps on September 17th and I think it’s safe to say we can expect at least one or two more singles as well as another video and plenty more artistic byproduct.
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Hip-Hop, Videos | The Dean’s List – Ce Soir [Music Video]
Posted by Grubeats on August 13, 2012
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Every piece of work The Dean’s List release differentiates themselves more and more as artists. Following the release of their last video for “Take Shape”, the Boston trio return with another take on their version of a club hit. With assistance from Dani Ummel on the hook, Aziz (Sonny), Alexander (DJ Mendoza), and Mik take to their creative sides once again and venture to an asian temple to reenact “that night” (Ce Soir). While The Dean’s List are in the process of rebranding themselves into The King’s Dead, a channel in which they will deliver all aspects of art through music and video, they are still gearing up for a tour kicking off later this month. View the stops announced thus far.
Hip-Hop, Videos | The Dean’s List – Birth [Music Video]
Posted by Grubeats on June 18, 2012
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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
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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