RapStation

Zion I is emcee Zumbi and producer extraordinaire Amp Live. Coming at you from Oakland, California, the duo has been putting out bass heavy bangers since 2000 when they released the critically acclaimed Mind Over Matter. Since then, they've been on a tireless mission to get their music to the masses. With several collaborations with Grouch and Eligh of The Living Legends and countless underground legends like Blackalicious' Gift of Gab and Talib Kweli, Zion I is always pushing the boundaries of its craft. Zumbi's often metaphysical lyrics combined with Amp Live's futuristic beats lends Zion I a fresh sound unlike any other. 2009’s The Takeover produced the single "Juicy Juice," which showcased the duo just having fun and doing what they like to do. Their new album, Shadowboxing, is out n

For those of you that are fans of MF Doom's Mmm...Food (Rhymesayers, 2004), the third track on that album featured production work from the Tennessee-based artist, Count Bass D. Layers of short MPC samples and film snippets characterize his production style, which is complemented by live instrumentation and eccentric lyrics. While he never garnered significant commercial success, he is an underground powerhouse with a huge catalog of music. He never stops. Music is admittedly his life and it shows. He isn't limited to production, he sings and raps. With a voice reminiscent of Mos Def, there's a lot more to Count Bass D then people know. Check out "Down Easy" from 2005's Begborrowsteal. He took a few seconds to answer Rap Station’s SXSW survey. –Kyle Eustice When did you first fal

Fake Four Records founder Ceschi Ramos called Factor "the Prince Paul of Canada" and Myka 9 of Freestyle Fellowship won’t work with anyone else lately. The Canadian producer has been at the helm of Myka's projects since 2008. Their first song together was "Smokey" for Factor's album, Chandelier. That album also marked the first time working with Fake Four. He has completed a dozen solo projects, a prelude and an instrumental EP. A new solo concept album drops in July, which Factor is "extremely hyped about." (Although, with his Canadian accent, "about" probably sounded more like "abbot"). The motley duo heads to Austin next week to spread its love of chilled out, classic hip-hop. Factor took about 45 seconds to complete this interview. –Kyle Eustice RAPstation: When did y

Rising New York emcee, Josiah The Gift teams up with producer Sassoon to release a new video, "Legend," to celebrate the debut of their collaborative mixtape entitled The Mandelbrot Set which was just released. The video can be viewed here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCn6v6ZC_po and please visit http://www.datpiff.com/mixtapes-detail.php?id=462721 to download The Mandelbrot Set mixtape now. The official tracklist for the project, which is entirely produced by Sassoon, can be viewed below. 1.Josiah The Gift - Intro 2.Josiah The Gift - Deadly Melody 3.Josiah The Gift - Started In BK 4.Josiah The Gift - Traffic 5.Josiah The Gift - One Day 6.Josiah The Gift - Serial Killer 7.Josiah The Gift - The Fugitive 8.Josiah The Gift - Life Wounds 9.Josiah The Gift - Then & Now 10

Next up on RAPstation’s SXSW coverage is Canadian hip-hop collective, Sweatshop Union. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, the group formed in 2000 through a mutual love of musical expression. Comprised of Mos Eisley, Metty the Dertmerchant, Conscience, Dusty Melo, Marmalade, and Ray Black, Sweatshop Union are on their seventh studio release (and 5th LP), the first since 2008’s critically acclaimed Water Street. Infinite hits stores May 7. Mos Eisley took a few minutes out of his hectic tour schedule to give us the low down. –Kyle Eustice When did you fall in love with hip-hop and why?   Mo: I fell in love with hip-hop when I saw graffiti and breakdancing at the same time I started to hear rap around the buildings my cousins grew up in. I liked that it was a f

SP1200 producer Gensu Dean and Cali-Microphone legend Planet Asia have just released their new album Abrasions. The hard hitting album is 17 tracks deep with no filler. Featuring Grammy Award Winner David Banner as well as the Gold Chain Military, Tristate, Killa Kali, Shawn Pen, Twin Gambino, Tragedy Khadafi, and more, Abrasions is one of the hardest hitting new records of the year. Please visit https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/abrasions/id589221462 to purchase and support Abrasions now!