Your plug for New Indie Hip Hop News and Reviews
Hello Fellow 88ers. Been a hot minute since we dropped a Weekend Bag. Took some much needed time off to recharge the batteries and restructure the WVCC Radio Model. Back in April we posted on IG that we would no longer be streaming WVCC RADIO on Twitch and would be taking some time off of the show. Well, 1 month later and we are back and bigger than ever. Thanks to our New Partners at CMNWLTH, WVCC Radio now has its own Online Radio Platform streaming around the clock, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We recently added some of our favorite DJ’s mixes to the daily schedule, so you can now tune in to hear the most recent mixes from JENI FROM THE BEACH, DJ GLIBSTYLEZ, RONSHA & GZON from Paris France, DJ JAZZY WHUT from New Zealand, THE 6TH FLOOR SHOW from the United Kingdom, and more shows being added weekly, along with the best from the National Underground and So Flow Hip Hop. Simply click on WVCC RADIO on the menu tab above, press play and enjoy the best in Boom Bap from the Bottom to the rest of the Global Hip Hop Map. The following reviews are just a small sample of what we have loaded on the site this week. Enjoy the Weekend Bag and make WVCC RADIO your new go-to link for that Real Shit.
New Albums & EPs
AYNT & ILLSHUN – BAD FOR BUSINESS
In a music industry oiled by entertainers who have been conditioned to pump out status quo tunes that fit the Sound Stencil of the Season, there are still many real Artist who refuse to fall in line with “the Current Trend” in order to move up the Billboard Charts. Fountain Bleu recluse Producer/Emcee, AYNT, & Ontario Producer ILLSHUN are just that type of Artist. Their new collab LP, aptly titled BAD FOR BUSINESS, stands boldly against what the experts recommend a modern Hip Hop album should sound like, and as a result, makes some waves that can attract an audience bigger than their own shore lines.
As a long-time Fan and Supporter of AYNT, it brings me great pride to share this album with our audience, but I would be dishonest if I didnt admit I am double proud to be featured throughout the album in my natural role of Host with the Most Quotes. However, it’s really AYNT who steals the show with his laundry list of quotables over ILLSHUN’s amazing production on the B4B LP. AYNT gets right to work after a brief intro by WVCC RADIO Host 8ch2Owens on the Jazzy album intro BOISTEROUS, where he drops such butter phrases as “Why don’t you go and make you a couple of dollars so you can know what it feels like to pick your poison better/ There’s cheddar to make out here, Learn to Avoid Shit / Better to lay on a Bed of Dead Roses/ Picked by Karma herself, she said you had Choices/ You probably think I like to Act Boisterous/ Thats cuz I amp myself up just based off my own dopeness/”. The young metaphor manipulator has been a protege since we first met him at the age of 16, and he has always marched to the beat of his own Drum Pads. Never needing much validation from the local scene outside of his close nit crew, AYNT has managed to polish a sound and style that is uniquely his own in the South Florida Indie Hop landscape. Sure you can find similarities with Kendrick, Boldy James, and even Navy Blue in AYNT’s vocal infliction fluctuation and laid back care-less cadence, but the more you listen to him burn through pages of verses, the more you notice, this brother has a voice and steelo all of his own. Joints like N.A.S. (Nice and Slow) feat hometown collaborator T-COOP, and WE MADE IT feat KAOTIC STEEL with its rough neck beat flip on verse 2 show off 2 polar opposite sides of AYNT. The Easy Going South Florida Beach Bumm, and the Hyper Active West Miami Miscreant. He tells his tale of struggling to stay active and motivated after coming this far in his musical journey, all while trying to stay alive longer than Jimmy Hendrix on album stand out track SLATES. The he flexes an “Ego that busts louder than a Desert Eagle” on the Album Title track B.F.B. and shows off his Spanglish eloquence on CONAZO SAIYAJIN ft INCARDIDO from Sao Paulo Brazil dropping bars in Portuguese. O.G. Family Members MARQUES MCCOY and RETRO 1920 check off all the required boxes on CHECKLIST making it a WVCC favorite, and Miami Llama GEORGE SPITS drools all over ONE FOR GEORGE. Bangers like SURFACE TENSION are interwoven masterfully with smooth vibes like GOLDEN HOUR ft T COOP, I.R.J.Y (ITS RELLY JUST YOU) and a few MadVillinesque Intermissions that we are glad AYNT “talked his shit” on, (now he has us looking forward to the possible “FOREVER 21” project with his MISCREANT Family).
Anchored by the head nocker RED PLANET, and soulful vibe setters D.F.K. (DIRTY FOUNTAINBLEU KIDS), and bonus track JUNTO, “BAD FOR BUSINESS” is a solid album all the way through with no skippable tracks. Whatever mood you are in, there is an ILLSHUN track to match your vibe and AYNTs pen will make you a fan instantly if you prefer Emcees with something to say who refuse to say it the same way anyone else would. His Bandcamp is getting hefty with an airtight discography building. Make sure you stop by his Artist Page and pick your copy of BAD FOR BUSINESS up and give an ear to some of the other gems he has posted for your enjoyment. WVCC Radio vouches for all of them.
Bandcamp – https://aynt.bandcamp.com/album/bad-for-business
IG – @ayntjtc
JUS DAZE – THE ZIETGIEST
JUS DAZE has his finger on the pulse of the Street on “THE ZEITGEIST”
On his latest full-length release, Queens NY Battle Vet JUS DAZE channels the many moods of the streets that influenced him throughout his life and in the present. Through the 10 tracks of “THE ZEITGEIST”, (all bangers and all produced by C.G. THE PRODUCER) DAZE delivers the feelings, vibes, and concerns that are palpable all around you if you have lived long enough in the Big city and surrounding burroughs. There is Party and Celebration, There is Pride and Aggression, There is lust and straight rachet raunchiness, and there is pain, loss, and a hyper-awareness that our time is limited, so we better be using it responsibly. All emotions we can relate to. All reflected on Jus Dazes’ latest work.
Websters defines a Zeitgeist as “The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.” The music that DAZE created and curated for this project is just that. A perfect representation of the time and place where JUS DAZE is presently making his mark in the Hip Hop conversation. A time when the youth, (and adults who have yet to grow up), are more concerned with “Turning Up” then improving their FICO Score. A Time when Hip Hop sits arrogantly on the throne, a King drunk with power and not concerned with the well-being of its kingdom. However, DAZE hasn’t dropped an album of lament. He learned the “If You Can’t Beat Um, Join Um” lesson, and decides to “Beat Um” at their own game.
You want Party? DAZE kicks off the Album with a Bottle Popping worthy bop called GO TIME, but “He aint doing that Grown Man spitting Foolish Raps”. His bars all sharp enough to leave you with “The Mark of Zorro”, and his cadence and flow Pattern to end the verse proves JUS DAZE is ready to release the fireworks on THE ZEITGEIST. Did someone say Fireworks? THE REAL comes through with a boom bap feel cooked up by C.G. that makes an M80 Fire Cracker sound like one of those paper poppers you throw on the floor. The Beat Slaps and the rhymes punch harder then Kimbo Price. Def one of my favorite joints on the album. This is followed by BIG CUTTY; a no-fluff, no-filter look at the life of “Mr. Solo Dolo”. As DAZE describes on the opening lines, “I dream filthy/ My Moms Pops built me so I feel Guilty/”. I took a moment to ask JUS about this line to which he responded..
“I guess you can say I was raised “right.” You know, good morals, solid principals, hard worker, integrity, all that…but growing up in the city, being on the street, sometimes you see certain shit, you “dream filthy” as B.I.G. said and depending on the type of person you are, it can create moral conflicts. Like you wanna do the right thing, but you also wanna get this paper…so finding the medium between that is the key behind integrity and sometimes even just THINKING about a “quick vic” can make you feel guilty.”
THE ZEITGEIST has joints for the Block and those working the Street Hustle, joints for the Emcees trying to make it in the saturated Rap Game (RAP GUYS, NUCLEAR FISSION 1 & 2, & NOT ANOTHER), and joints for the Adult Hip Hop Head just working hard to keep his family happy and the bills paid (KAREN, DARKNESS OF THE SUN aka D.O.T.S).
You can check the CYPHLYFE Review of the lead Double Single NUCLEAR FUSSION 1 & 2, which are 2 of our favorite cuts off the album. Our other favorite tune on ZEITGEIST is POISON PILLS, a brutally Blunt look at the current prescription med epidemic that is taking lives throughout the Country, both in the Hood and the Burbs. This is JUS DAZE at his Urban Freelance Journalist Prime, writing 3 Verses in graphic detail. C.G. provides a beat flip on the 3rd and a gripping vocal sample on the hook that makes this joint a complete, breathing creation that pushes a message that needs to be heard in today’s American Society. He ends the song with an accountability challenge to those making a living off the drug trade in classic 80’s O.G. MC fashion. In an Era where Rappers are satisfied penning 1 or max 2 verses for a track and calling it a day, the 3 and 1/2 verses & relevant topic DAZE delivers on POISON PILLS make this one of our top pics on the album.
Many of us learned the meaning of the word ZEITGEIST ( The defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.) from the Docu-Series that went viral from 2007 – 2011, but we asked JUS DAZE what it meant to him and why he named his latest album after this conscious movement. He replied…
“I called the album “The Zeitgeist” because it’s an actual name I’ve been called in the past. People say my words/moods can affect or be influential to those around me so when I thought of this album and how it came together, it just fit. While the whole world is changing, I’m evolving yet staying true to myself, my integrity, my principles, and my ethics without needing to follow the sheep. Most people and let’s keep it a buck, RAPPERS follow trends because they think you have to. Well, a ZEITGEIST doesn’t need to do what everyone’s doing in order to make them FEEL it.”
BandCamp – https://jusdaze.bandcamp.com/album/the-zeitgeist
IG – @jusdaze
MONEY MOGLY – A LONE WXLF
From the depths of the Diry South; the land of Wxlvez, Godz, and Goats, comes the current magnum opus of Mr. MONEY MOGLY, “A LONE WXLF”. Heralded by many in the Miami Indie Hip Hop Scene to be 1 of the top 3 Emcees in the South Florida region, MONEY MOGLY has been rapping his fury tail off since the early 2000s with his crew, then known as DUB P (The Wolf Pack), which has now evolved into the WXTCH WXLVEZ family. MOGLY too has gone through his own evolutionary process, growing from a Young Knuckle Head to the responsible Sole Provider for his home, a Loving Father and a Pack Leader to his band of BARbarians. In the span of 21 Tracks, MOGLY attempts to catch you up on his journey, for all those who havent been riding with him since day 1.
Now don’t go getting scared at the mention of a 21 track album. MOGLY is well aware that the current trend is to release a wave of singles or back to back EP’ monthly, but he never been one to follow waves. Instead he tosses this boulder in the lake and is content letting the ripples reach who they will. I must say, so far everyone it has reached has nothing but great things to say about “A LONE WXLF”. During a live interview last Tuesday on CHI-NATIVE RADIO, Female Host THROW MC made it clear that she is a tough critic and will usually skip a song within seconds of it playing if it doesnt catch her attention, and she rarely listens through a whole album, “But every song I pressed played on was a problem!. They all grabbed and kept my attention, and when I clicked on the next one to see if I would finally run into a weak song, I was again surprised by another banger. The album is just back to back unskippable tracks.” Check the clip below to see the CHI-NATIVE RADIO Family from Chicago give their feedback on the New Album and Lead Singles LUPE$ & Exclusive RUNE$ (Time Stamp 20:26 for the MONEY MOGLY Review and Interview).
A life of hustling on the streets has taught MOGLY to keep a tight lip around strangers, but he bares his soul on A LONE WXLF, taking you into the trenches with his fellow woes, BIG G, ART MORERA, JOEY DaSILVA KHM, MR. BELEAF, KASTRO FROM THE AVE, Fellow Godz DON MURDA, CLYDE MARLEY (who both have some surprising stand out verses on the album), and the Gold Masked God himself, NO EMOTION, LA PLANCHA Co Founder and Lo Life Florida Rep DJ EXES, & Miami GOAT King, SHOTTIE all do their thing to make A LONE WXLF a page turner of an album. Let JOHN D CONTRADICTION of NOTYAMANZ PODCAST out of Long Island New York tell it, “this project is excellent. Honestly, Mogly couldn’t have done more to make this album any better. In Rotation and Deserves more than 1 Listen” (See Review Clip Below).
With so many features, and even more guest producers shaping the soundscape of this album, it’s ironic that MOGLY would have decided to call this album A LONE WXLF. As he explained on an interview with Miami’s DIRTY 5IVE JAKX, He wrote the album as a reminder to his 11-year-old son “Wolfy”, that one day we all have to walk this path alone. For now, MOGLY is surrounded by his Pack, backed by the Miami Hip Hop scene, and growing his fans one by one wherever his music gets played at. Last Friday he hosted his Album Release Party/ Listening Sessions at THC STUDIOS in Hialeah FL, and the show of support was inspiring. It was standing room only at U.B. THE APEX’s headquarters, and not only did we all get to celebrate a Miami Heat Game 2 Win over the Celtics together as a Community, but we also got to celebrate the current success of one of our own. With all the years “DON LOBO” has put into the rap game, it brings me joy to finally see him getting his much-deserved recognition. Just press play on the A LONE WXLF Bancamp Link below, and you will you understand and give him his props too. The Music Speaks for Itself, and it “Dont Tell No Motherfucking Stories Heux”
https://moneymogly.bandcamp.com/album/a-lone-wxlf
JENI JONES – GAHALLA
Have you ever been Hexed? Had an incantation spoken over you?
As I press play on GAHALLA, the debut album from JENI FROM THE BEACH Founder and Host JENI JONES, I cant help but feel like I have just had a spell cast upon me. The Santa Monica Hip Hop Hostess has made a name for herself spinning the hottest in Indie Hip Hop every Wednesday on her Nationally syndicated JENI FROM THE BEACH hour-long mix, and now she delivers her own collection of raps and melodies with that same great energy we grown to love from her weekly broadcast.
Whether she is rapping about her Body on “SCOPOPHILIA”, crewing up with mythical magic “SPACE DRAGONS”, mourning over matters of the heart (“BE ALIVE”, “LOVING & LIVING”, “DUSTING”); Praying for forgiveness & guidance “ON THE FLOOR”, or telling you a story about her first day in “BROOKLYN” with the assistance of SISTA ASIA and a little help from “The Biggest New York Roach you have ever seen”, JENI does so with palpable joy and a child-like innocence that is not common in our “School of Hard Knocks”. She is not trying to be something she isn’t, or trying to be the new hottest femcee of the year. She is just happy to be rapping in the cypher, just as she is happy to give airtime to Indie Hip Hop artists who are being grossly overlooked by the Music Industry and FM Radio. That’s something we rock with all day long at CYPH LYFE Radio. Plus, she will proudly tell you she laid the entire album down in 1 whole take while kicking it at the recording studio one day. I’ve heard of Hova’esk 1 Take Tonys before, but recording a whole album in 1 seamless performance? She definitely gets props for that.
You can catch JENI FROM THE BEACH on the New WVCC RADIO every Wed morning at 8am EST, and then again at 10am EST….and we also stream it through out the week at around 3pm right before our RIDE HOME MIX.
MR. SCRATCH HOOK – THE BOOK OF MR. SCRATCH HOOK
WEEEEEEEPAAAA!!!! Right on time for the Puerto Rican Day Parade in N.Y. South Side Queens OG, DJ E-REX aka MR. SCRATCH HOOK brings us his holy book of Boriqua Boom Bap which he has compiled over the past few years, THE BOOK OF MR. SCRATCH HOOK. With a lethal legion of Guest Appearances from across the globe, SCRATCH HOOK delivers an album that never takes the foot off the gas or our necks.
From the album opener, “THE CONQUERER” featuring heir to the Puerto Rican Emcee Throne CHRIS RIVERS, LEGA-C & MIKEY D, MR. SCRATCH hits us with raw banger after banger, Super Feature after Super Feature. KING MAGNETIC kills several tracks on the album (HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED, TIME WILL TELL, & LOOPHOLES). WVCC RADIO Favorite MIC MOUNTAIN has several stand-out tracks on the album featuring The Wild Cowboy SADAT X (DROPPING BOMBS), SHABAAM SAHDEEQ (SYNESTHESIA), and the Latin anthem LATINO PURO feat LO LIFE General THIRSTEN HOWL the 3rd and Cyph Lyfe Radio Host 8CH2OWENS. ON THE WHEELS OF STEEL is a Royal Rumble of bars feat One Sun, CrDnlSn, Jafet Muzic, Danny Fantom & Ray Santana, who is MR. SCRATCH HOOKS Nephew, not only the youngest spitter on the track at 21, but also the tallest. John Jigg$, M.O.U.F. & Joseph Blackwell get on their Paper Hunt on PREDATOR VS PREY, And on TURNTABLE TALK (THESE HANDS), E-REX invites his long-time family, Queens NY legend DJ JS-1, and Miami Hip Hop Pillar DJ HERON, to remind the audience what the foundation of this culture is, The DJ. The three turntablist conduct a clinic on scratch acrobatics that hasnt been seen since the classic Scratch Pickles or Beat Junkies routines. Honestly, that is the magic of the entire album. Not only does MR. SCRATCH HOOK supply some incredible production for every emcee to wreak havoc on, but he also lays down his own touch of disgusting table technique on every song, making this a true Producer/ Scratch DJ Album.
The book is 13 Chapters (tracks) long (the 13th track being a DNA Remix Contest Winner of THE CONQUERERS that is bananas) Enough fire in these pages to have you turning back for multiple reads and there are enough singles within its covers to assure you will be hearing joints from THE BOOK OF MR. SCRATCH HOOK played by your favorite DJ’s for months to come while MR. SCRATCH HOOK works on his next Novela.
Dropping on all DSP’s on June 2nd, but you can get your copy and physicals at Bandcamp in the Meantime.
https://micmountain.bandcamp.com/album/the-book-of-mr-scratch-hook
#CyphLyfe #SingleFiles
READYROCKDEE X BHRAMABULL – SCREEN PASS
“The Real Finally Back” is what Yonkers NY Bar Runner READYROCKDEE is screaming all over the latest BHRAMABULL produced banger, SCREEN PASS. The west coast producer continues his scoring streak with another smooth joint that fits READYROCKDEE’s smooth assassin style like OJ’s original glove (the one he didn’t leave behind.) With lines like “Bread Winner, I’m a make every dollar stack / 30 for 30 consider this a Consignment Pack / When its time to Pay Up, Be On Time with That / Dont become the R.I.P Shirt on somebodies back/”, READYROCKDEE glides effortlessly over the airy violin filled soundscape provided by the BULL. Definitely a head nodder that’s getting heavy rotation 24/7 on the New WVCC RADIO. You can tune in or check the animated video below for a taste of your own.
SEVEN STAR – SONIA
Miami Master Level Emcee SEVEN STAR is back with a beautiful offering for the mother of his children named SONIA. Rapped entirely in SEVEN’s birth tongue, SONIA is a smooth description of a woman who is as Strong, Fiesty, & Independent, as she is Caring, Nurturing and Loyal. He tells about how she lured and conquered him with her “divine feminine” ways over a BLACKSMITH SUNDAY beat that is as silky as SEVEN’s verses. Even if you didn’t pass Spanish 1 in school, the beat and flow are groovy enough to keep your head nodding through this heartfelt dedication to his wife. Also stay tuned for the upcoming Original Visuals Video for the single staring SONIA herself. You can get a sneak peek below. Don’t say we never gave you anything.
EVAIZE – NIGHTMARE
Evaize has separated himself from the South Florida Local Rapper pack over the past 2 years, landing several singles on major Underground Mixes, Hip Hop Platforms, and mixtapes. He continues his roll out of 2023 Singles with NIGHTMARE. A head rocking banger produced by JOHNNY BIGGS which EVAIZE fills with an aggressive rant that you are sure to hear in your worst dreams.
CHOCO VALENS -GOLDBERG
VALENS is back. Nah, CHOCO VALENS is Here to Stay. He has proven it consistently for the past 4 years, there aren’t many in South Florida hanging with his level of musical output. Now with his latest single GOLDBERG, CHOCO jumps off the top rope with two cans of beer in his hands and aimed right for your faces. Catch GOLDBERG playing on WVCC RADIO on daily Rotation.
Don’t be stranger. Slide by the New Home for WVCC RADIO powered by CMNWLTH where we are now streaming 24/7, playing only the hottest in Indie and Underground Hip Hop around the clock. While your at it, Click that 4KPRO Event Tab at the top of the page and get your tickets to #GUILTYPARTIES aka D.U.IVAN’s “TOMA” Album Release Party, Hosted by WVCC RADIO and 4K PRO, this Saturday at LINCOLNS BEARD BREWING.
