So we've heard lots of news around the blogs about Savage doing great on the US iTunes, and that his single "Swing" would be getting remixed, and someone would be jumping on the track with him. Well, turns out it was ultimate love-to-hate/hate-to-love artist today, Soulja Boy.
Here's the track:
Personally, I never really liked the original song in the first place, and Soulja Boy's presence doesn't make it any better. In fact his little intro thing completely puts me off from the beginning. And what's this "Oh na na?"
My final word on the track is if it's making a New Zealand artist some money, then I'm all for it. So go ahead Savage, and make your money.
Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Hip Hop Blog Update
So as you are probably all aware if you keep up with the NZ Hip Hop blogs, the Tour of Dirty has made it's way around NZ, and that's pretty much all the talk has been on the blogs. Well there have been a few gems posted up lately that everyone should take a look at.
First up, over on Slick Talk, Slick-Van XL (a.k.a. PNC) has a great post up about his song Just Roll. He's got a mix up that takes all the lines he references from 80s and 90s songs and puts them actual song. See if you can get them all :D He also explains about how he got the sample for the song, and it's quite an interesting story.
Next, over on Full Disclosure, P-Money's got a post about the NZ music industry, and how one might go about selling beats. The disclaimer at the start mentions it's not an indepth explanation, but even this on-the-surface look at the NZ music industry is fascinating, and worth the read.
Over on MTC, they've got a few vids of their artists up. The two I found most interesting are of Young Sid. One is a behind the scenes clip of the making of Sid's latest video for his single "My Letter", and the other is a preview of said video. The video looks like it's set to be pretty good from what I can see on the behind the scenes clip, although the preview looks quite... self-indulgent. So I won't make any decisions or anything till the whole thing comes out. I'm a fan of Sid, being from South Aucks and all, so yeah.
David Dallas is still pumping out the content like nobody's business. You'd think he'd want to relax after being on tour, I suppose that's why his manager upped the latest mix. 41 has just remixed one of my favourite songs off of Magic City, Get Back, which features none other than Dave and PNC. If I'd never heard the original beat for this, I think this could have been a great choice, but the original can't be surpassed on this occasion. So go check it out, and if you haven't heard the original, watch this after the 1.59 mark:
One more MTC post, this time from veteran DJ Sir-Vere. Dude put up a post hyping Smashproof's new stuff hard, and I've got to say it's got me excited. He makes a great point concerning Tyree, and people not feeling his flow or lyrical ability, and I have to say I was one of them. I know the guy has musical talent (I was in his music class in High School, the dude is hella talented), so it's great to here Sir-Vere say he's a lot better than he was. So yeah, I'm looking forward to hearing some new Smashproof.
Finally, we end our journey with Straight From The Horse's Mouth, Mareko's blog. Dude posted up some massive news about one of his Deceptikonz brothers, Savage, making it all the way to #16 on the iTunes US Top 100 Hip Hop charts. I think that's seriously the highest a New Zealand hip hop artist has ever gotten in any US chart... unless you count OMC as hip hop. But even then I can't remember how far they got. I may not like Savage's music, style or lyrics, but I got to give him credit for doing that, man. That's almost unbelievable.
That's all for now.
Peace
First up, over on Slick Talk, Slick-Van XL (a.k.a. PNC) has a great post up about his song Just Roll. He's got a mix up that takes all the lines he references from 80s and 90s songs and puts them actual song. See if you can get them all :D He also explains about how he got the sample for the song, and it's quite an interesting story.
Next, over on Full Disclosure, P-Money's got a post about the NZ music industry, and how one might go about selling beats. The disclaimer at the start mentions it's not an indepth explanation, but even this on-the-surface look at the NZ music industry is fascinating, and worth the read.
Over on MTC, they've got a few vids of their artists up. The two I found most interesting are of Young Sid. One is a behind the scenes clip of the making of Sid's latest video for his single "My Letter", and the other is a preview of said video. The video looks like it's set to be pretty good from what I can see on the behind the scenes clip, although the preview looks quite... self-indulgent. So I won't make any decisions or anything till the whole thing comes out. I'm a fan of Sid, being from South Aucks and all, so yeah.
David Dallas is still pumping out the content like nobody's business. You'd think he'd want to relax after being on tour, I suppose that's why his manager upped the latest mix. 41 has just remixed one of my favourite songs off of Magic City, Get Back, which features none other than Dave and PNC. If I'd never heard the original beat for this, I think this could have been a great choice, but the original can't be surpassed on this occasion. So go check it out, and if you haven't heard the original, watch this after the 1.59 mark:
One more MTC post, this time from veteran DJ Sir-Vere. Dude put up a post hyping Smashproof's new stuff hard, and I've got to say it's got me excited. He makes a great point concerning Tyree, and people not feeling his flow or lyrical ability, and I have to say I was one of them. I know the guy has musical talent (I was in his music class in High School, the dude is hella talented), so it's great to here Sir-Vere say he's a lot better than he was. So yeah, I'm looking forward to hearing some new Smashproof.
Finally, we end our journey with Straight From The Horse's Mouth, Mareko's blog. Dude posted up some massive news about one of his Deceptikonz brothers, Savage, making it all the way to #16 on the iTunes US Top 100 Hip Hop charts. I think that's seriously the highest a New Zealand hip hop artist has ever gotten in any US chart... unless you count OMC as hip hop. But even then I can't remember how far they got. I may not like Savage's music, style or lyrics, but I got to give him credit for doing that, man. That's almost unbelievable.
That's all for now.
Peace
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
More David Dallas
What can I say? Dude is just releasing crazy content right now, and you'd be a fool not to check it out. Right now over on his blog he's releasing some remixes of some Frontline stuff, and as usual it's mean as.
Just as a little taster, here's the first song from the remixes (peep the post for the d/l link):
So go ahead an check it out. I also believe you can subscribe to his podcast and get all the remixes and everything via that, so check the link over on the blog.
Just as a little taster, here's the first song from the remixes (peep the post for the d/l link):
So go ahead an check it out. I also believe you can subscribe to his podcast and get all the remixes and everything via that, so check the link over on the blog.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Aotearoa Allstars - Think Twice *update - video*
*Update. P-money upped the vid, got it embedded below. The track is released, go buy it!*
Head on over to P-Money's myspace to check out the track.
It almost seems like it was a long time ago that 15-year-old Pihema Cameron was murdered by Bruce Emery, just a day after 22-year-old Saishwar Krishna Naidu was murdered by a 16-year-old. There was nearly a third murder that weekend as well, when a 36-year-old woman was stabbed by a 25-year-old. All in South Auckland, where I live, in the space of a few days.
All this death and violence, well, I guess it got to some people. DJ Sirvere got a whole bunch of people together and decided to do a little something to spread awareness about all this. What resulted is Think Twice by Aotearoa Allstars.
Scribe, Delani, Flowz, Awa, Che-Fu, Cyphanetik, Tek (of R.E.S.), Chong-Nee, PNC, Mareko and Savage all appear on the track and lend their vocal and lyrical abilities to help highlight this increasing problem in today's youth. P-Money and Evan Short (of Concord Dawn fame) lend their talents as producers.
There's a video on the way, and the single will apparently be available to buy March 10th. All proceeds are going to Youthline. For now, as I said, you can check the track out on P-Money's myspace.
Head on over to P-Money's myspace to check out the track.
It almost seems like it was a long time ago that 15-year-old Pihema Cameron was murdered by Bruce Emery, just a day after 22-year-old Saishwar Krishna Naidu was murdered by a 16-year-old. There was nearly a third murder that weekend as well, when a 36-year-old woman was stabbed by a 25-year-old. All in South Auckland, where I live, in the space of a few days.
All this death and violence, well, I guess it got to some people. DJ Sirvere got a whole bunch of people together and decided to do a little something to spread awareness about all this. What resulted is Think Twice by Aotearoa Allstars.
Scribe, Delani, Flowz, Awa, Che-Fu, Cyphanetik, Tek (of R.E.S.), Chong-Nee, PNC, Mareko and Savage all appear on the track and lend their vocal and lyrical abilities to help highlight this increasing problem in today's youth. P-Money and Evan Short (of Concord Dawn fame) lend their talents as producers.
There's a video on the way, and the single will apparently be available to buy March 10th. All proceeds are going to Youthline. For now, as I said, you can check the track out on P-Money's myspace.
Friday, March 07, 2008
South Auckland Twisters!
Photo courtesy of TV3 and Michelle
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Moonlight Dancing
If you haven't already heard the song, jump on over to PNC's blog (*brand new* ;)) and check out the video for Moonlight.
First off, let me say I'm a big PNC fan. I love his flow, his lyrical ability, and the dude has put out some really solid videos for his singles (though I really wish there was a video for Bomb! One of my favourite tracks). The dude is one of New Zealand's greatest MCs (I'm not going to make a list or anything... or am I?). But even the greatest among us have slipped a few times, and in my opinion (let me stress that I'm just a fat lazy guy with an opinion, so take it for what you will) Moonlight is one of those slips for PNC (and just a slight slip at that).
I'll start with the music. Official, who produced the beat for another of PNC's singles (Just Roll), again is responsible for the beat on Moonlight. Now, I love the beat. There's nothing wrong with the beat. It gives the song an ethereal feel, and it suits the title. The problem with the music comes in at the chorus.
As someone with a myspace account, like everyone else I get random friend requests from music artists who don't quite have the exposure some other artists have. And so it is for that reason I am familiar with Zeisha Fremaux. She's the chick who appears in the chorus. She is one of the problems I personally have with the song. While she has a good voice in that she can sing in tune, and has reasonable tonality, it's just not popping. You can hear in the first few times she sings the chorus that they've either had someone come in and do bg vocals for her as well (or she came in after someone already laid some down), or they messed with her voice a bit and used it as a double for her to add a bit of depth. The only times I enjoy the chorus is when her voice is replaced with a synthesizer. Honestly, I think it would make the track just that much better if they went back and replaced all the choruses with the synthesized version.
See, now that wasn't so bad. I think that's my only real criticism of the music, and it wasn't even PNC's fault :D
Now for the video. Jonathan Gerard takes on the role of director for Moonlight. A member of the Fish'n'Clips team, he's directed a few NZ music videos by bands such as Pluto and The Mint Chicks. I'm not really familiar with his other work, but Moonlight isn't his strongest attempt. (Again, let me frame this by saying this is only my personal opinion.)
The video just isn't that interesting. PNC in a couple different outfits in front of a couple different backgrounds with a couple dancers and some tags? I realise he was probably trying to take a minimalist approach to convey the ethereal, floating feel of the song, but I guess it wasn't quite minimalist enough.
So, to break it down a bit. Why does PNC need to change outfits? There's no reason that I can gather from the song itself. But I suppose this question is connected to the background changes. I just don't see the point. It doesn't seem to connect anything. In fact, in a video that is so minimalist, the changes are distracting and feel disjointed.
I understand the reason for the dancers. The chorus references dancing, and so, we have dancers. I even like the effect used on the dancers. What makes the dancers a bad choice, in my opinion, is the way they're used. They appear sporadically, are dancing in a way that doesn't seem to mirror the song, and unlike PNC and Zeisha actually look at the camera. Like the outfit and background changes, the dancers only serve to make the video feel even more disconnected.
Then there's Zeisha. Unfortunately, direction is her problem. It's obvious she's been told to look at something away from the camera and keep her eye on it, and been told to dance and use her arms. It just looks so... contrived, and so laboured. PNC has the advantage of glasses, whereas Zeisha remains so focussed on this thing off camera that it just makes you think "I wonder what she's looking at?" Like I said, this isn't her problem, Gerard was just unable to think of something less distracting for her.
Another thing is that Zeisha is only placed in the chorus (obviously because she sings it), but is seen at almost no other time, and is never doing anything but that dancing on the spot. Perhaps if she had been imagined as a character for PNC to interact with, she would have fit in better in the video, and perhaps would have made the video as a whole a lot better.
Then there's the tags. The problem with the tags is that there's not enough of them, and they're too static. Some of them are just thrown on the screen and do nothing more than take up space, but some of them are given movement and really emphasise the lyric (for example, "Boom"). Now, the reason why I said there's not enough of them is because a whole video could be made from just these tags alone. Give them some movement, make them come alive, and you could have a great video. But the way they're done here just seems like they were thrown in.
Just as an aside, watch the end of this video (from 2.05min onwards) featuring none other than PNC to see a really creative use of words in a music video. Sure, it's not the same feel, but it gives you an idea.
Okay, so there we have it. My review of the new single and video for PNC, Moonlight. And let me just end it by saying I'm just one guy, and my opinion means squat. I don't mean for PNC, Jonathan Gerard, Zeisha Fremaux or anyone involved in the project to feel bad about it. The fact that you guys made the song and the video is proof enough of your talent and abilities. This is just one guy's opinion, who has no influence whatsoever, and who you'll probably never meet. But then again, if on the off chance you happen to read this and do take my opinion to heart, and can see my point of view on things and understand my criticisms, then I'm glad I was able to help :D
Peace.
First off, let me say I'm a big PNC fan. I love his flow, his lyrical ability, and the dude has put out some really solid videos for his singles (though I really wish there was a video for Bomb! One of my favourite tracks). The dude is one of New Zealand's greatest MCs (I'm not going to make a list or anything... or am I?). But even the greatest among us have slipped a few times, and in my opinion (let me stress that I'm just a fat lazy guy with an opinion, so take it for what you will) Moonlight is one of those slips for PNC (and just a slight slip at that).
I'll start with the music. Official, who produced the beat for another of PNC's singles (Just Roll), again is responsible for the beat on Moonlight. Now, I love the beat. There's nothing wrong with the beat. It gives the song an ethereal feel, and it suits the title. The problem with the music comes in at the chorus.
As someone with a myspace account, like everyone else I get random friend requests from music artists who don't quite have the exposure some other artists have. And so it is for that reason I am familiar with Zeisha Fremaux. She's the chick who appears in the chorus. She is one of the problems I personally have with the song. While she has a good voice in that she can sing in tune, and has reasonable tonality, it's just not popping. You can hear in the first few times she sings the chorus that they've either had someone come in and do bg vocals for her as well (or she came in after someone already laid some down), or they messed with her voice a bit and used it as a double for her to add a bit of depth. The only times I enjoy the chorus is when her voice is replaced with a synthesizer. Honestly, I think it would make the track just that much better if they went back and replaced all the choruses with the synthesized version.
See, now that wasn't so bad. I think that's my only real criticism of the music, and it wasn't even PNC's fault :D
Now for the video. Jonathan Gerard takes on the role of director for Moonlight. A member of the Fish'n'Clips team, he's directed a few NZ music videos by bands such as Pluto and The Mint Chicks. I'm not really familiar with his other work, but Moonlight isn't his strongest attempt. (Again, let me frame this by saying this is only my personal opinion.)
The video just isn't that interesting. PNC in a couple different outfits in front of a couple different backgrounds with a couple dancers and some tags? I realise he was probably trying to take a minimalist approach to convey the ethereal, floating feel of the song, but I guess it wasn't quite minimalist enough.
So, to break it down a bit. Why does PNC need to change outfits? There's no reason that I can gather from the song itself. But I suppose this question is connected to the background changes. I just don't see the point. It doesn't seem to connect anything. In fact, in a video that is so minimalist, the changes are distracting and feel disjointed.
I understand the reason for the dancers. The chorus references dancing, and so, we have dancers. I even like the effect used on the dancers. What makes the dancers a bad choice, in my opinion, is the way they're used. They appear sporadically, are dancing in a way that doesn't seem to mirror the song, and unlike PNC and Zeisha actually look at the camera. Like the outfit and background changes, the dancers only serve to make the video feel even more disconnected.
Then there's Zeisha. Unfortunately, direction is her problem. It's obvious she's been told to look at something away from the camera and keep her eye on it, and been told to dance and use her arms. It just looks so... contrived, and so laboured. PNC has the advantage of glasses, whereas Zeisha remains so focussed on this thing off camera that it just makes you think "I wonder what she's looking at?" Like I said, this isn't her problem, Gerard was just unable to think of something less distracting for her.
Another thing is that Zeisha is only placed in the chorus (obviously because she sings it), but is seen at almost no other time, and is never doing anything but that dancing on the spot. Perhaps if she had been imagined as a character for PNC to interact with, she would have fit in better in the video, and perhaps would have made the video as a whole a lot better.
Then there's the tags. The problem with the tags is that there's not enough of them, and they're too static. Some of them are just thrown on the screen and do nothing more than take up space, but some of them are given movement and really emphasise the lyric (for example, "Boom"). Now, the reason why I said there's not enough of them is because a whole video could be made from just these tags alone. Give them some movement, make them come alive, and you could have a great video. But the way they're done here just seems like they were thrown in.
Just as an aside, watch the end of this video (from 2.05min onwards) featuring none other than PNC to see a really creative use of words in a music video. Sure, it's not the same feel, but it gives you an idea.
Okay, so there we have it. My review of the new single and video for PNC, Moonlight. And let me just end it by saying I'm just one guy, and my opinion means squat. I don't mean for PNC, Jonathan Gerard, Zeisha Fremaux or anyone involved in the project to feel bad about it. The fact that you guys made the song and the video is proof enough of your talent and abilities. This is just one guy's opinion, who has no influence whatsoever, and who you'll probably never meet. But then again, if on the off chance you happen to read this and do take my opinion to heart, and can see my point of view on things and understand my criticisms, then I'm glad I was able to help :D
Peace.
Friday, February 22, 2008
John Campbell Going to Jail?
I first saw this story on Stuff.co.nz. Apparently Campbell's interview with the medal thief has landed the TV3 news team and Campbell in a bit of hot water. The police questioned them over the identity of the guy, but being professional journalists, they said they won't reveal their sources.
Now, I've been fairly critical of TV3 news and John Campbell in the past, especially John Campbell... the guy just irks me, but I have to say I'm proud of them for sticking to their guns. They struck a deal with the guy to get the story and they stuck to it. I'm actually really surprised at how they did it, because it's fairly ingenious. They taped the interview with the real guy, transcribed it, destroyed the original tape, and then got an actor to read the guy's answers.
This does kind of conflict with my personal sense of morality, because I'm dead-set against thievery/burglary, and I do have a sense of patriotism, so stealing war medals that were awarded to soldiers who fought for our country does sting. Hell, it more than stings. But this is about TV3's choice not to give up a source, and I think that is more important in this case. Now if this guy had committed a violent crime, then I definitely think TV3 would have contacted the police.
So, I know TV3 won't read this, but this is just to show a bit of support. On ya TV3! Now, if you could just fire Campbell and Dobbo, I'd have no qualms with you.
Now, I've been fairly critical of TV3 news and John Campbell in the past, especially John Campbell... the guy just irks me, but I have to say I'm proud of them for sticking to their guns. They struck a deal with the guy to get the story and they stuck to it. I'm actually really surprised at how they did it, because it's fairly ingenious. They taped the interview with the real guy, transcribed it, destroyed the original tape, and then got an actor to read the guy's answers.
This does kind of conflict with my personal sense of morality, because I'm dead-set against thievery/burglary, and I do have a sense of patriotism, so stealing war medals that were awarded to soldiers who fought for our country does sting. Hell, it more than stings. But this is about TV3's choice not to give up a source, and I think that is more important in this case. Now if this guy had committed a violent crime, then I definitely think TV3 would have contacted the police.
So, I know TV3 won't read this, but this is just to show a bit of support. On ya TV3! Now, if you could just fire Campbell and Dobbo, I'd have no qualms with you.
Monday, February 18, 2008
D.Dallas Mixtape - Final Track
I mentioned a little while back about the David Dallas mixtape, The Artist Formerly Known As, and how it was being released a track at a time over on his blog. Well now it has come to an end. The final track, Get Out The Way, is actually an exclusive single from David Dallas's upcoming album Something Awesome, and judging from this track it's safe to predict the album will be Something Awesome (sorry that was cheesy, but listen to the track and tell me that ain't hot!).
In all seriousness, this track is unbelievably hot. The beat is crazy, D.Dallas's flow is crazy, the chorus is catchy. It's just an incredibly good track. Go to D.Dallas's blog to download the track, or if you're lazy, stream it below. This is something you NEED to do. Hurry up.
In all seriousness, this track is unbelievably hot. The beat is crazy, D.Dallas's flow is crazy, the chorus is catchy. It's just an incredibly good track. Go to D.Dallas's blog to download the track, or if you're lazy, stream it below. This is something you NEED to do. Hurry up.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Waitangi Day
Otherwise known as "The Day it's Okay to be Racist."
I'm not going to go into the whole politics of the situation because that's really not my point. I am just completely appalled and frustrated at the amount of racism still in this country. And if I'm being honest, it's not just racism, it's just a general hate that seems to divide this country.
Last night before I went to bed I was listening to Newstalk ZB. It was Bruce Russell's show, and there was a caller on. You could tell from the caller's voice, and what he said, that he was an elderly white man. I'd just turned it on when I heard him talk about the controversy over Maori carrying the Tino Rangatiratanga flag over the Harbour Bridge, but he didn't describe the people as Maori. He didn't even describe them as people. No, what he did was degrade the entire Maori population by calling them "apes". That's right, bloody apes.
Now, I know there is always going to be racism, and racists, so while I was offended by the comment it rolled off the back pretty easily. What really offended me was the fact that an employee of a high-profile, New Zealand radio station wouldn't correct this ignorant man. No, all he had to say was "If you call people apes, you might get compared to a Cricketer." What the hell is that supposed to mean? Yes there's the controversy over racism in Cricket, but that doesn't tell this man that he's wrong to compare Maori to apes. And to top it off, the caller just laughed, and Bruce joined in.
And then on top of all that, I read this over at D.J. Sir-Vere's blog:
I mean what the f***?
So, I just want to send a big
I know it won't do anything, but I don't care.
I'm not going to go into the whole politics of the situation because that's really not my point. I am just completely appalled and frustrated at the amount of racism still in this country. And if I'm being honest, it's not just racism, it's just a general hate that seems to divide this country.
Last night before I went to bed I was listening to Newstalk ZB. It was Bruce Russell's show, and there was a caller on. You could tell from the caller's voice, and what he said, that he was an elderly white man. I'd just turned it on when I heard him talk about the controversy over Maori carrying the Tino Rangatiratanga flag over the Harbour Bridge, but he didn't describe the people as Maori. He didn't even describe them as people. No, what he did was degrade the entire Maori population by calling them "apes". That's right, bloody apes.
Now, I know there is always going to be racism, and racists, so while I was offended by the comment it rolled off the back pretty easily. What really offended me was the fact that an employee of a high-profile, New Zealand radio station wouldn't correct this ignorant man. No, all he had to say was "If you call people apes, you might get compared to a Cricketer." What the hell is that supposed to mean? Yes there's the controversy over racism in Cricket, but that doesn't tell this man that he's wrong to compare Maori to apes. And to top it off, the caller just laughed, and Bruce joined in.
And then on top of all that, I read this over at D.J. Sir-Vere's blog:
Introducing Mr Barry Corbett, a Christchurch councillor who when questioned about the prosecution of Bruce Emery, the 50 year old who stabbed to death 15 year old Pihema Cameron, he said 'If I was on the jury, I'd let him get away with it, but thats me.' It was reported here in the Herald.
I mean what the f***?
So, I just want to send a big
F*** YOU!
to Bruce Russell, his caller, Mr Barry Corbett and Bruce Emery.I know it won't do anything, but I don't care.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
David Dallas' New Mixtape
Not much to post about this week, but this is awesome. If you happen to be Kiwi or Aussie and enjoy hip hop, then it's highly likely that you've heard of David Dallas, a.k.a Con Psy, front man of Frontline. He's got a new mixtape out that he's releasing a track a day over at his site, DavidDallas.co.nz. So check it out, it's pretty cool.
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