RapStation

Back in 2008, ­DJ K.O. recruited some of Hip-Hop's finest emcees and producers to craft his debut offering. Picture This had track after track of dream collaborations between the likes of Royce da 5'9", Talib Kweli, Elzhi, Phonte, Masta Ace, O.C., Skyzoo, Emilio Rojas and Silent Knight and delivered exactly what the fans wanted...real hip-hop. Simple formula - raw beats, raw rhymes. To take the record to another level, the album featured additional production from the likes of 9th Wonder, Analogic, Ayatollah, Black Milk, Buckwild, !LLMIND, Khrysis, M-Phazes & Marco Polo. While EMPBeTheTeam may lack the blockbuster names of its predecessor, it certainly does not fall short of the level of quality established by Picture This. "Again, I tried to approach this album as a hip-hop fan

Skyzoo is set to release his new album, 'A Dream Deferred' on October 2nd through The Faculty / Duck Down Music. The album has stand out production from the likes of !llmind, Jahlil Beats, 9th Wonder, Eric G, Focus, Black Milk, DJ Khalil, Best Kept Secret & Tall Black Guy.  'A Dream Deferred' features songs with Jill Scott, Talib Kweli, Freeway, Raheem Devaughn, Jared Evan, DJ Prince, and Jessy Wilson.  Skyzoo describes the cover, drawn by Chilean artist Fabian Ciraolo (www.fabianciraolo.blogspot.com) as a perfect representation to what the album sounds like. Skyzoo goes on to explain that "the idea was to demonstrate the feel of being in a dream and I wanted the album to represent that visually as well. Fabian's work contains his signature star speckled background on all of his

Dezert Eez (consisting of members O'Nill, 5-Star & Nivek) took shape at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI) and all three members have known each other for close to a decade now. The name Dezert Eez (Desert Eagle) is symbolic of a weapon created in Israel and then later brought to the states to be manufactured; much like the "Original Man." The group's first recording together was "Declaration of War," a rugged, up-close look at street and global affairs, which set the tone for much of their early material. The trio cut their teeth performing on the local hip-hop circuit for a year and developed a following that enabled Dezert Eez to start performing live outside the area and as there music spread, so did the buzz, as Dezert Eez eventually earned opening duties for artists such

The Dutch group, Dope D.O.D., teams up with Duck Down Music to re-release their album, 'Branded,' on October 9th in North America with four bonus tracks. Hailing from the Netherlands, the group consists of MCs Skits Vicious, Dopey Rotten and Jay Reaper, as well as DJ Dr. Diggles and producer Peter Songolo. They describe their sound as "a new realm of hardcore hip-hop with European electronic sound thrown in the mix." Last year, Dope D.O.D. crashed onto the scene with their debut music video "What Happened." The video was greeted with a strong reception, resonating with fans internationally on its way to racking up 8 million YouTube views to date. Following that success the group toured heavily with distinguished metal bands Korn and Limp Bizkit. Since then, they have blazed a fi

Doe Cigapom ("Deliver On Emotions" & "Can I Get Peace Of Mind") acronym illustrates his mission to shed light on the very real healing powers of music. Throughout his own difficult life experiences, music has been the remedy for Doe's peace of mind. Doe was born and raised in Washington D.C. at a time when our nation's capital was undergoing historic struggles. This undeniably had a direct impact on his upbringing, but as Doe emphasizes "there was always music" as his main source of solace. As it often happens for many of our most cherished artists, as a child Doe became mesmerized by the music (particularly the drums) of the church services he attended as a child with his mother, prompting him to pursue teaching music and eventually becoming one of the most preeminent timbales and c

The duo from Brighton, MA have been busy this Summer. After performing all three days at Bamboozle festival they set off on a 34-city US tour in mid-June, alongside O.C.D. Moosh & Twist. Prior to the tour starting Carter & David von Mering of Aer put the final touches on their debut album, 'The Bright Side,' which was released today as a digital-only project. The genre blending group created an album that finds its roots in reggae, acoustic pop and indie rock, with smooth guitar riffs and a strong rap component. Aer has released two music videos from the project for their songs "Floats My Boat" & "Like The Way." Fans in NY & Boston can look forward to album release shows on: August 4th - NYC In-Store from 2PM to 3PM at New Era's Flagship Store August 4th - NYC @ Irving Plaza