 Artist Hood Blues is the united rebellious spirit of hip-hop. Coming from humble beginnings that began in Watts and later in South Central, Blues became enthralled in West Coast gangster music. The lifestyle was affluent with the music but foreseen traps are deeply entrenched in the music. The devastation was the murders of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace that woke Blues out of the haze and he UNDERSTOOD music reflects life.
Blues began honing his skills while in the Army but decide to go to film school before starting his music career "I’ve always seen the vision of direction, and after being told what to do for twenty two years, I did my thing". As the road looked bright, a ridged dark valley was ahead for Blues. God said diamonds are purified through fire and that was Blues’ focus. With no time to be hopeless and fall in the traps that were set before him, Hood Blues delivered a feast for rap heads "On Hell’s Edge".
On Hell’s Edge is a storyline album about life, direction, choice, god, heartbreak, hustling, making up and making it. "I banged this one out. I had got my sentence and I had two months before I had to turn myself in and I just hammered it out. I was going through so much but I felt strong. I didn’t let anything shake or move me I just kept at it. When I got out, I gave my peoples a copy and they couldn’t believe it. All my faith was in God."
Hood Blues is in the studio recording with the UnIon and his follow up album due in 2008
CHILLENEUM™ Born William S Johnson III to north side St. Louis was moved by music at an early age. Through his parents influence his early childhood was flooded with the compositions of such greats as: Isaac Hayes, Grover Washington, Herby Hancock, Rufus and Chaka Kahn, Donald Byrd, Curtis Mayfield and many other live music legends that have become a sampler’s dream in these modern times.
Never having much instruction with any live instruments back in the day, poetry was his only out let besides just listening to music, beating on anything that would make a sound and make anyone listening nod their head except the grown-ups of course.
CHILLENEUM™’S adolescent years in hip hop were spent deejaying parties, competing in local talent shows and wowing any young MC’s that felt they were up for the challenge.
After his high school graduation, CHILLENEUM™ was presented with the opportunity to record and he took it.
That first recording session became the anthem for Atlanta’s Freaknic, a college celebration where college students and vacationers came from all over the U.S. for spring breaking and releasing the stress on their daily lives. The single was released by Coastal Records a leading distribution label based in Atlanta and CHILLENEUM™ gained his first experiences as an independent selling artist. That sold single sold for 3 years straight during the Freaknics to follow and the video to Freaknic Freak-out was an underground success.
CHILLENEUM™ latter signed to a local St. Louis label with fellow members of the FEP SQUAD (Full Effect Productions) with his life long friend and hip hop partner BELOW DREWP, who had teamed up with him on the Freaknic Freak-out single. The FEP SQUAD would later release themselves as an entity of the label due to non-progress.
Upon going solo CHILLENEUM™ started his own production and publishing company and continued collaborations with his fellow squad members THYCK CLYCK, DOUBLE CEES, and BELOW DREWP who all are featured on his sophomore recording "CHILLENEUM™: LOVE OF THE CHA$E". The album depicts the struggle to become wealthy and live one’s own dream against dim odds. "My first internet marketing was a free site named Audiostreet.net." Chill states. "That’s where I first met fans and artists from all over the world some who showed me first hand the value of MP3 and ring tone downloads." He laughs. "Don’t get it twisted though, I still love the stage and being face to face with the crowd and through this medium we’ll meet the crowd abroad!"
CHILLENEUM™’S "CHILLTONES®" now reach across the globe from California to Australia, from the Ukraine to Japan and he enjoys responding to fans personally.
CHILLENEUM™’S goals are to perform collaborations with other independent musicians all over the world and give artists world wide the ability to sell their music and products independently and see over 95% of their profit.
 Bio
In homage to hip-hop’s empirical formula - one DJ & one MC, and duos such as Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Gangstarr and Blackalicious, the Blue Scholars embody the chemistry that made these groups so consistent not only on wax, but live on stage as well. What results is the blend of poetic, raw vocal delivery with melodic boom-bap and turntablism, painted with politics and preservation. Residing where the hustle and the struggle coincide, Blue Scholars craft the soundtrack for everyday folks with everyday problems seeking everyday release.
After dropping one full-length album (Blue Scholars LP, 2005) and an EP (The Long March, 2005) the Blue Scholars have emerged as the latest in a long line of torchbearers for Seattle and greater Pacific Northwest hip-hop scene. The duo formed in early 2002 after ciphers and sessions in a makeshift attic-bedroom-studio in Seattle’s University District, where emcee Geologic and DJ/producer Sabzi came from vastly different musical approaches to collide. One a distinguished battle emcee and poet, the other a former punk/ska drummer and jazz-trained pianist, the duo’s backgrounds laid the foundation for a versatile combination of beats and rhymes at once political and personal.
Since 2002, the duo has become renowned live show veterans, rocking nearly 200 shows with the likes of De La Soul, Immortal Technique, The Coup, Zion I, One Be Lo, Soul Position, Slick Rick and Spearhead. The mass appeal of their live show has brought them to many diverse venues - from labor organizing conferences and youth-run community center shows to playing the main stage at Sasquatch! (2006) and Bumbershoot (2006).
In June 2006, Blue Scholars joined forces with Common Market (emcee RA Scion and DJ Sabzi) and emcee Gabriel Teodros (of Abyssinian Creole) to launch MASS LINE MEDIA, a new artist-run independent record label.
 Bio
Dashah knows the moment his life changed. He was in the 6th grade; his teacher was out sick and the students wanted to let her know how much she was missed by putting on a show. Some kids wrote poems, some painted pictures and Dashah decided to write a get-well rap. He put pen to paper and soon had enough lyrics to take it to the stage- or in this case the classroom. "The other kids went crazy, "Dashah recalls." Everyone loved it and I was up there, feeling the love and that’s when I knew. This is what I’m gonna do."
Armed with an insightful, lyrical quickness and fervent belief in hip-hop’s power and possibility Dashah’s goal is simple. He wants to remind folks why they fell in love with Hip Hop in the first place. "These days everything is processed and plotted out, "Dashah says. "It’s lost a lot of its intensity .I wanna bring it back to where it’s real again. "
The first real taste of that came in March 2007 with "F*ck Da Majors"- a mix tape that put Dashah’s tough insightful rhymes front and center.
That focus drives cuts like "Holiday." Set to a snake charmer back beat and flavored with R&B "Holiday" is "Inspiring. Even I get the chills because it’s from such a deep place. It’s about celebrating the small things, cause they mean a lot. I treat every day like a holiday because you never know. Nobody’s promised tomorrow."
Just as persuasive and undeniably confidence is "Undisturbed," which Dashah explains "Represents how I feel when people try to get in the way of my success. I also hope the song is a warning to be leery of the company you keep. There’s a lot of haters who act like they’re your friends."
Another standout is the ambitious "Inkaholic". Anchored by 70’s funk, and deftly utilizing metaphor, "Inkaholic" breaks down the relationship between MC and pen. "It’s very emotional. Everything starts with me and my pen that I hold in my hand, that connection. The subject is symbolic but also very relatable on so many levels."
Born in Alabama, Dashah was raised in Long Island, a long time Hip Hop Mecca. As a kid he was surrounded by music- schooled to funk by his DJ dad and rap from the fellows on the block. Dashah loved everyone from Digital Underground to Big Daddy Kane and the Native Tongues posse. In the mid 90’s D and his family (he’s the middle of 4 kids) moved further out on the Island and, coincidentally their new neighbors were the families of old school legends Rakim and Erick Sermon.
By junior high D had gone from fan to player, joining forces with local MCs. "None of us knew how to make beats. We’d freestyle over other folk’s beats because we were young dudes trying to get into the game. We must have done 100 songs just two turntables and a little mixer. Real basic."
In high school Dashah and his boys started making homemade mix tapes and by 1997 he was in his first MC battle and then his very first show. "I was 17 and I was getting a little local buzz." The next year D and his crew Long Island Trees came through with another tape and then just as things were heating up, Dashah went down south to spend time with his dying grandmother. "All my grandmother wanted was for me to finish school and succeed in music. After she passed, I decided to get serious because it was what she asked me to do."
In 1999 Dashah moved back home and two years later dropped the Unexplainable First Edition: which lead to opening slots for Ja Rule, Fabolous and Naughty By Nature Even though things were going well, D decided he needed a change of scene to push his career even further. He moved to Cali in 2002, dividing his time between LA and San Diego. Money was tight but that didn’t stop Dashah from spending his last dime on a hip-hop convention. His hope? That he’d make some connections and get his music into the right hands.
He did and soon D had a manager who hooked him up with producer Chris Warrior. After two years creating hot songs Warrior introduced D to Yon Styles, a young industry vet (Black Eyed Peas) and product manager for Fuzz Artists- an indie digital label. Styles dug what he heard and offered D a deal but Dashah admits, "I wasn’t sure. It was so new but then I figured, why not?" In 2006 Dashah signed with Fuzz Artists, formed his production company Top Shelf Enterprises, and headed back to NY: ready to reaffirm his hometown’s legacy. After dropping "F*ck Da Majors" D and crew headed back to the lab where they are currently cooking up his Fuzz Artists debut.
Hip-hop is driven by the desire to make your mark and elevate the game. Ask Dashah what he wants his music to represent and he answers, "Creativity. What I do has a vibe and energy and more than anything, it’s real. When people listen to me I want them to know and feel that I poured my heart into hip hop."
 “If you ask me about my day I’m going to tell you about the weather, my job, my financial condition etc., but when you get up under that, that’s where the real expression is. I just make sure whatever I’m experiencing I just try to get to that point of myself to experience it.” Jay Electronica
There has been so much a said about this individual that without sounding like a broken record this will be brief. Jay Electronica is not your average emcee. His methods are different and with the sounds of Madlib, the late Jay Dee and Mr. Porter, the New Orleans nomadic wordsmith who tends to move which ever way the wind moves him has arrived. With ancestral lyricism that is hypnotic, simple and complex simultaneously, the immediate acceptance from the people is a testament that good music is still sought after by the true hip-hop heads and fans of good music alike.
Words from: mindbenderfuturama.blogspot.com
 Biography:
Derek Andrew "Sway" DaSafo is a British hip-hop artist of Ghanaian origin who gained attention through a series of independently released mixtapes before winning a 2005 MOBO (Music of Black Origin) award, which positioned him as one of the leading hopes for U.K. rap. Born in London -- albeit unintentionally, when his mother was on a stopover between Amsterdam and her native Ghana -- and mostly raised there as well, DaSafo hails from Hornsey, a North London neighborhood positioned in between posh, middle-class Murray Hill and the slum Wood Green. His carefully constructed rap persona reflects this polarity by combining a literate, reflective approach with a savvy, street-smart sensibility. Together with his broad, cagey sense of humor and often nervously kinetic delivery, it amounts to a fascinatingly complex and undeniably charismatic style, comparable to an intellectual Ludacris or a more ruminative Twista -- it's not hard to hear why he generated an underground buzz that developed quickly into wider awareness.
Despite his unique and captivating talent on the mic, DaSafo's initial focus was squarely on production. He got his start in London's underground hip-hop, at age 15, by making beats for other rappers, before his peers encouraged him, on the strength of his battle freestyles, to try his hand at writing rhymes. A pair of mixtapes that he recorded on his home computer and released through his own Dcypha Productions -- This Is My Promo, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, released in 2004 and 2005, respectively -- garnered airplay on London's pirate radio stations and, eventually, the BBC's urban-oriented digital station 1Xtra. He captured the public eye in September 2005 when he was named Best Hip-Hop Act at the tenth annual MOBO awards -- a surprise upset over 50 Cent and the Game -- despite being unsigned and before he'd even released an album. Despite the slew of label offers that predictably followed this triumph, Sway chose to remain independent, but his proper debut album did arrive the following year, after the teaser single of "Up Your Speed" (a posse-cut remix of a track originally featured on the Promo mixtapes), with the release (by DCypha in conjunction with the indie All City Music label) of This Is My Demo. Its title is a continuation of the overarching meta-conceit to Sway's oeuvre; as he explained it: "my whole career is going to be based on my career."
All did not go quite according to plan (selling successfully enough to pave the way for a major-label release of the eventual, hypothetical This Is My Album) -- as Demo stiffed at number 78 on the charts, falling to number 152 in its second week -- though it did spawn a handful of underground hits including "Flo' Fashion" and "Little Derek" (a bottom-of-the-Top 40 hit) in addition to "Up Your Speed" (the reggae-tinged "Products" and the humorous, anti-file-sharing "Download" were also released as singles). However, it was critically hailed, making the shortlist (of 12) for the 2006 Mercury Prize, and led to another MOBO nomination and a BET award for "Best U.K. Hip-Hop Act." Sway supported the Streets on their 2006 U.K. tour and appeared alongside Mike Skinner on the Mitchell Brothers' single "Harvey Nicks," but he has also been active in the global hip-hop community beyond the U.K. -- collaborating with Lupe Fiasco, Chamillionaire, and Small World (of Ludacris' DTP crew) -- and in music beyond hip-hop, working with ska veterans Madness and electronic duo Stanton Warriors.
In 2007, Sway signed with Akon's Konvicted label; released the One for the Journey EP, a harder-hitting collection than his debut that featured several of the aforementioned collaborations (and came clearly labeled: "This Is Not My Second Album"); discussed collaborations with Akon, Doug E. Fresh, Mark Ronson, and Pharrell; and announced plans for The Signature, to arrive in 2008.
 "Kasha is a rap artist from the UK and makes up one 3rd of the label Vivid Imagery. He has a love for literature and finds peace in the beauty of writing. He believes that people deserve to hear good music which has been crafted delicately from concept to completion. He also states that Rap is the fusion of speech and music and that it can be used to educate the misguided people of the world. His form of hip-hop can be seen as a vessel to spread truth, hope, dreams, love, peace and positivity.
Click Image to go to Audio page for Kasha
The Primeridian , a hip-hop based, power duo consisting of Jaime Roundtree (tree tha scarecrow) and Simeon Viltz (see-me-on) hail from the eclectic, historical music scene of Chicago. With musical influences from blues and R&B, to house and acid jazz, the primeridian fuses these influences into a soulful, jazzy, acid-funk sound independent of musical genres and classification pushing hip-hop to new levels of exposure, experimentation and expressions. With thought-provoking lyrics, a touch of humor, skilled production and musicianship and years of explosive live performances, the primeridian takes a stage by storm with energy, emotion and experience moving crowds of diverse audiences (young and old)! Both artists bring a unique background to the primeridian's music.
tree is a native of Chicago's west-side working class community submerged in the socioeconomic trials of urban life. Beyond the simplicity of simple rhyme schemes in everyday hip-hop, tree has a passion for language and continuously research ways to communicate his rhymes in a manner that is innovative and genuine. An old soul griot, he intricately weaves words into poetic lyrics skillfully revealing the tales of the city and the struggles of oppressed people. "My goal is to relay a perspective of life through musical poetry that will appeal to all open minds. Using words and sounds I want to take the audience to an experience that is new and honest," he affirms. tree thus maintain Chicago's down home country feel but keeps the "gritty edge."
On the other end of the spectrum, see-me-on AKA V, a native of Chicago's southeast Hyde Park area, represents the 'the soul' of primeridian. Born to a family of gospel and jazz artists, V was 'raised in music.' His work centers on the search for spiritual alignment and growth of character amidst the mayhem of urban madness. With metaphysical imagery and cultural hsitory, V takes the audience on a soul filled "mental ride." "I encourage the audience to read between the lines and not just look at the face value of things. I want to lead them to a space of original thought . . . with spirituality that is collective in essence but objectively different." states V. Disciplined, educated artists who work extensivley with youth, both tree and V have studied and performed with numerous artists of various genres. The primeridian have opened for a number of artists including the legendary Run DMC, Redman, Common, Ludacris, Talib Kweli and many others. They have also performed and toured within the United States and Europe. In 2001, Promihjay 8, Inc. released the album "I'll Meet You In Greenwich" . . . on November 8th, 2005, their next album on the All Natural label "Da AllNighta" was released. While recording their yet to be released album "the morning after," the primeridian integrated longtime friend and High Noon collaborator Race from PCP/Highruallahs/The Late Show into the group. Race states, "Our music is what we are about. It is made up of the things we speak about day to day. It is our life, our dreams, our fantasies, our goals, our beliefs, our failures, and our demons. We not only aspire to give you music to shake that thang to, but also create a masterpiece that can advise you, give you knowledge, something you can learn from. The Music is the Message." For more information about the primeridian, visit www.allnaturalhiphop.com. much love to: All Natural Inc., Guidance Recordings, Promihjay 8, Inc., Juba Collective, 4 fingers & a thumb, Lounge Fidelity Public Wizard Inc.
Check the Audio section to listen to Primeridian!
 Astonish joins the veteran hip-hop collective, the Molemen, as their youngest burgeoning emcee. Originally from Humboldt Park but now residing in Old Irving/Jefferson Park, Astonish embodies Chicago’s capacity to produce a street-smart lyricist with enough intelligent swagger to hold his own in the midst of both the thugs and the backpackers.
Having been reared in a diverse musical environment, Astonish gained a unique eclectic auditory experience that has helped him develop his balanced approach to music. Between the old-school soul records of his grandparents’ era, his father’s penchant for NWA, and his own musical delving with everything from Usher to Nas to Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Astonish’s rhymes convey a multitude of topics that reflects this musical heritage.
After gaining a street buzz as a younger teen, Astonish felt that he needed to restrain himself from putting out tracks without a proper network behind him to ensure that his first album wasn’t lost in a flood of underground releases and never heard. By biding his time, he was able to cultivate his craft and eventually gain the ear of the Moles, quickly earning their acceptance with his sincerity and the quality of his delivery.
With nearly six years of devoted rhyming under his belt, Astonish is in a solid position to quickly establish himself as one of Chicago hip-hop’s newly tiered breakthrough artists. One of his songs, “Broken Dreams”, focuses on his strong impulse to take advantage of the opportunities presented to him while they are still available, and not to let time pass him by. Having joined up with the legendary Molemen collective at the young age of 21, it is clear that he is wasting no time in taking advantage of a very strong opportunity to allow his dream of becoming an internationally respected emcee to be realized.
Astonish’s first release (available now) is “The Biz” mixtape, with fellow emerging Molemen recruits: Scheme and Decay. Utilizing beats by the Molemen camp and his own producer, Cucs, Astonish plans on getting Chicago acquainted with his style with an EP by the beginning of 2008, entitled "From Now Until Forever". He is also planning on putting out a compilation album with his RnA cohort, Risque, after his first full-length Molemen release. The title for the debut Molemen LP has yet to be determined, but it is slated to be unleashed fourth quarter 2008. (written by Will Line)
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 Biography
While South Carolina producer/MC Danny! declares himself "A Tribe Called Quest on acid, or EPMD on LSD", he’s much more complex than that. Born to military parents in the summer of 1983, Danny Swain never had enough time to grow roots in any particular area. With his family criss-crossing the country, the scenery was always changing and so were Swain’s friends; the only long-term relationship he was able to maintain was the one he had with music. His mother supported her son’s interests, buying him music equipment every Christmas. By 1998 he was a serious beatmaker and writing rhymes became his next conquest. By 2002 he was ready for his debut and began work on The Danny Swain LP, but the album would never see the light of day. Accused of being the ringleader in a grade-changing scandal at his college, Danny! was expelled from Claflin University and by the end of 2003 he was back home, dejected, depressed, and quitting music. He later had a change of heart and reappeared onto the local scene with his first full-length, The College Kicked-Out. While some saw it as a winning combination of Little Brother and Kanye West, detractors saw it as derivative of both. Danny! relocated to Georgia for a second chance at higher education at the Savannah College of Art & Design (alma mater to neo-soul princess India.Arie) and worked on his second effort, the venomous F.O.O.D. (Finding Out Our Destination). Whether or not the Kicked-Out criticism was the reason for the anger, F.O.O.D.
Check out the audio section to listen to Danny!
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