The Hottest New Indie Hip Hop hitting the sites this Juneteenth Weekend.
Happy Juneteenth Brothers and Sisters of all Races, Colors, Creeds and Nationalities. On this historical day we celebrate the final Liberation of all Slaves in America. Though the History Books we read in school teach that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st 1863, it wasnt until 2 years later, on June 19th 1865 that Union Soldiers finally Marched into Texas to declare General Order #3 – ““The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
It’s sad to think that these brothers and sisters were still being kept and treated as property, forced to work under grueling conditions, in fear of punishments that would be far worst, for 2 years after Slavery had been abolished by the Federal Government. Fast Forward to 2020, and many of us are still dealing with the same conundrum. On paper it shows that all Citizens are Equal, have Equal rights, and are granted the same Equal Opportunities. None the less, the Real Time Events we have witnessed in our generation are evidence that this is far from the truth, and the same “delayed” freedom our ancestors hoped for, we also await….but our patience has grown very thin.
Today we celebrate not only the Liberation of a People who invested blood, sweat, and tears into building this Country we are all proud to live in ( Maybe not all that proud, but we sure do appreciate the luxuries). We also reflect on the fact that real Freedom can only come from Freeing our Minds from the Lies, Doubt, Feelings of Inferiority, Fear, Ignorance, Hate, and Resentment that divide us all. Those last Slaves in Texas waited around to be told they were Free, but as soon as they heard those words the majority left the plantations before the Deceleration of Freedom was even finished. However many still stayed as Paid Laborers, because it was safer and more secure. More Comfortable to stay with the known Oppressor, then venture into the unknown. Let us learn from our ancestors that Freedom on paper means nothing, and that we do not need to wait for someone to declare us Free. Unless we Free Ourselves from the fears, weaknesses and vices that keep us all from progressing ( no matter the skin color or heritage), we will never truly be Free. Equality doesn’t mean much if we are all Equally Enslaved.
We hope this music we share with you today helps inspire you to continue fighting for Freedom for yourself, your family and the human community as a whole.
Skyzoo: Milestones EP
Not only are we celebrating Juneteenth today, but we are also getting ready to honor our Patriarchs on Fathers Day this weekend. What a great 1, 2 Combo huh. Here to remind us of the importance of Fathers stepping up and fulfilling their roles in the Family and Communities, especially in our Communities, is expert flow worker and wordsmith Skyzoo. This album came out of nowhere, with no promotion that I can remember from Mello Music Group who is usually good at promoting their upcoming releases. But it was a much welcomed surprise. Skyzoo explains the album as follow:
“The idea for this project came from me noticing the landscape of how fathers are represented in hip hop. Outside of Will Smith’s classic “Just the Two Of Us” and a handful of others, the majority of the records in hip hop that speak on fatherhood have a negative connotation. I wanted to change that narrative, as it’s not the only one that exists. Myself being a father, there are a ton of others like me who are engulfed in hip hop and are also 24 hour a day dads, whose kids mean the world to them. I wanted to showcase that. I started this project in August of 2019 as one song, and it grew into an entire project within a week, and I’ve been sitting on this idea since the summer/fall, waiting for Father’s Day weekend to come around. This is a conceptual EP, where each song is a story that holds hands with the ones before and after it, all about my life as a kid, growing up with my father always in my life, and how that’s now shaped me as a father myself. It’s named “Milestones”, after my son Miles, and also signifying the milestones that us dads reach in life as we grow into fatherhood. This project is solely about growing Up with a dad, being a dad, and the importance of it all. To all the fathers out here who are lovingly and actively doing the work, this one is for us.” -Skyzoo
Wrekonize: Pressure Point – Meridian 2
Last night we had the honor of exclusively streaming the newest release from Miami Indie Hip Hop Gawd (Cuz what else do you call someone who is at the pinnacle of his game in every medium of entertainment he tries his hand at) WREKONIZE. The Strange Music Alum is following up his last EP, Pressure Point – Meridian 1, with a continuation to what seems to be at the least a 3 EP Series. #PressurePoint seems to be a play on words where Wrek is comparing the struggles of juggling a Music Career, Personal Relationships and Family Life with the uphill climb of a Mountain. Pressure Point is the name of this Mountain, and he is taking you on a journey up the face of this monolith with every song. Every EP a different stage on the way up. Every Step harder than the last. In this latest entry in the Pressure Point Saga, Wrek leaves himself open and transparent to his listeners as he admits to his feelings of loneliness and hurt at not being able to rely on others as much as they rely on him (High Water), his struggle with anxiety, his feeling of despair that he might be at his last straw, and the camels back is about to break (Wits End). He allows us to join him in his happy place as he reminisces on an easier time when he only dreamt of being famous and rocking stages, before his dream came true and he found out it was as much of a curse as a blessing (Simple Back Then). Then he brings us crashing back to reality as he forces himself to come face to face with all the demons that have haunted him all his life, and holds us hostage to witness the brutal payback he exercises on said Ghosts of his Past (The Coldest Dish). All tracks produced by the savage Michael Seven Summers, who provides the perfect canvas for Wreko to use for this cathartic work of art. Only 4 tracks deep, so it will be easy ( and necessary) to replay this ep several times over as we await the next level of Mt. Pressure Point.
REKS – Legacy Driven
On the second release from REKS highly anticipated album T.H.I.N.G.S (The Hunger Inside Never Gets Satisfied)the underground legend delivers a powerful statement to modern day hysteria and chaos over a perfectly smooth and jazzy instrumental from the forever consistent hip hop legend Evidence. REKS album originally slated for a Juneteenth release date (June 19th)has been bumped back a bit so for now let Legacy Driven satisfy the hunger inside.
Mark 4ord: Opioids
I have played at least 1 single from Mark 4ord every week since they started dropping singles and videos in Feb. So when I saw they dropped their whole LP on Paka The Plugs Youtube Channel, I hit that save button immediately. As always Paka’s pic did not disappoint and the group known as Mark 4ord further solidified my fandom. Press play and find out why for yourself.
Frank D’Amato – X.S.E
The homie Frank D’Amato is making it hard for me to keep up with the bullet holes he’s leaving spread around web. This is his 3rd EP Release in 3 Months, each of them a burner in their own right. This latest verbal assault over production by Madlib, Evidence, Flying Lotus, Dr. Dre and Digga is titled X.S.E ( Xaviers Security Enforcers), continuing the Marvel Comic methos he is known for manipulating into each album. Only 5 songs on this EP, but if it leaves you wanting more from the self proclaimed Black Punisher, check out his Bandcamp Link below to support his other releases. Dont Sleep.
https://frankdamato.bandcamp.com/
G YAMAZAWA – Good Writtens vol. 11
We talking Freedom, Equality, and Unity between all People, Cultures and Creeds. Some think this is impossible, but if Hip Hop has taught us anything is that we can all be united under one flag and learn from each others experiences. G Yamazawa is a student of the Game and of Life, and he shows you in this video he is passing both classes with Flying Colors. Hit Play and be blown away as he kills this Just Blaze classic.
Friends Of Monsters: Whats your Planet feat. Chali 2na
One of Miami’s most eclectic Live Bands, Llama Beats, and one of Miami’s most promising prodigies, M.I.Animals MC/Producer AYNT, have joined forces to bring us a new hybrid musical mutant by the name of FRIENDS OF MONSTERS. On the 1st single off their upcoming self titled album, The F.O.MO are joined by mythical California Kraken, Chali 2na, of the legendary Jurrasic 5 and Project Blowed Community. Together they take you on a trip through uncharted galaxies on a space ship of funk, which makes me want to roller skate on the rings of Saturn. With both Spits the Llama and AYNT behind the beats, this whole album promises to be a vacation in the stars. Pre-Order your copy today at the link below and get yourself a nice gift package the Monsters have cooked up for us.
https://www.llamabeatsmusic.com/shop
Well thats enough from us today…Enjoy your Juneteenth Weekend. Support Black Owned Business in your community or drive out of your community and visit a community where there are actual Black Owned Business. Lets actively be part of the solution instead of just complaining about the problems. This is how we leave the plantation and work into our Freedom. To all my Fathers, Respect and Salute…and remember, its never to late to make up for time lost. It might not be easy, but if you Know Better, Do Better.
Hope to see yall tuned in Tuesday and Thursday 9 – 12 Midnight EST on Twitch.tv/WVCCxCyphLyfeRadiox8ch – Get the App, and give us a Follow…We will return the favor by bringing you the best in Indie/Underground Hip Hop every week.
Peace Peace – 8ch
