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On Saturday, March 31st, the Southside’s Z Lounge will be overtaken by an assortment of local underground hip hop artists as it hosts the next installment of the popular Pittsburgh hip hop concert series, Monsters of the Mic.Organized by Human Hustle Entertainment, the free show will begin at 9pm with opening acts from local up-and-coming artists. An abundance of Pittsburgh hip hop talent will be on display, leading up to the headlining performance of JonQuest, who is one half of the popular rap duo, Varsity Squad. In addition to a quality musical performance, drink specials and crowd giveaways will also be available. Come out to support Pittsburgh’s growing pool of gifted hip hop artists!
This will be the last hip hop show at Z Lounge ever, so close it down the right way by supporting your local talent to the fullest!
Z Lounge is located at 2108 East Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Follow JonQuest and Human Hustle Ent. on Twitter for more information.
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APEX has made a name for themselves in the Pittsburgh scene and has delivered consistent quality music for a while now, and Sound Travel is no different as they continue to dominate the boom bap classic rap scene for the city. Solid production and on point flows have been their trademark and it definitely works for them as they bring that hip hop you can kick back and relax to, smoke a blizz and reminisce on the good ol’ days of rap.The intro gives us an incredible soulful soundscape as both MCs flow effortlessly over the lavish musical backdrop. Then after letting you know that they are back, “The Show” is easily a highlight as the beat is smooth with a D.I.T.C. feel and the sound of a crowd throughout gives it that stadium feel, and Verbs absolutely crushes his verse with some of the craziest raps spit since Treach just laid beats to rest back in the day. “Troubadours” is more of that smoothed-out boom bap, you could easily see Big L fast-talking all over this beat.
“Move Back” features Varsity Squad so you know this track has gotta be dope, and of course over some sick production we get a bunch of solid verses, the winner of the round is clearly Jon Quest as he continues to prove why he’s easily top 5 in the city. “Down” got a down tempo feel and the electronic elements of the beat perfectly complement its somberness while the MCs speak on some real shit. “Summer City” is a great summer nights joint and “Lotta Love” is some more soulful greatness. Then we get the over-the-top champion epic posse cut in “Cypher 3” featuring basically everybody. The beat, amount of MCs and the fire they spit all make this instantly feel like a D.I.T.C. cut. The winner of this track? HUBBS, who I swear is really Starang Wondah crushes the track with a verse you’d expect Sean Price to spit on his best day. Finally “Idols” is another joint in which Ayatollah Jaxx shines with his verse that looks at where the rappers of the past are at today and how crazy it is to see from the perspective of an artist who was influenced by these legends.
The low points of the album aren’t so much songs as they are some of the lyrical content. While both members of APEX can flow sometimes the verses feel more like just words thrown together for the sake of rhyming, which understandably adds to the hypeness of their flows, but it also causes the ear to drift. Also, as good as the concept and hook for “Fine Print” are, the beat just doesn’t quite fit the mold of the rest of the album, making it stand out for the wrong reasons. Also “All of Me” has a dope hook but again the beat just didn’t really work.
If you want that classic boom bap sound then Sound Travel is definitely an album you wanna check out. A full plate of golden age hip hop will bring you back to the days of 50 cent dutches and starter jackets. With incredible guest appearances and a whole slew of incredible beats this album is perfect for your next blunt session, spark that L and let the sounds of APEX take you on a journey through the classic sound of hip hop.
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Good Company (Ayatollah Jaxx & Fundamental), the Torontoburgh Tandem released This Time Next Year in April which is available on iTunes now. The duo linked with close affiliate Jasiri X to produce “The Dream”, the remix to “On The Go Back” off their recent album. This political tune addresses Tyler Perry, Police Brutality, Osama Bin Laden and Terry Jones’ Qu’ran burning.follow @ayatollahjaxx @fundamental10
ANTUKS Movement presents Cypher 30 “Survival of the Fittest”
Shot at @blasfome_store
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“This Time Next Year” is available at WeAreGoodCompany.Bandcamp.com
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I caught up with RPHH’s own Ayatollah Jaxx and his Good Company counterpart Fundamental to discuss their latest album This Time Next Year. This release was highly anticipated after the success of last year’s Hello, Hip Hop and their first effort The Damn Good EP which was covered by hip hop blogs worldwide and garnered well over 25,000 downloads combined. This Time Next Year is the tandem’s first full length album and documents the struggles of dealing with external conflict while breaking into the music industry.Your new album cover contains some symbols, can you explain what those are and what they mean to you?
Mental: I’ll let Jaxx take that one. He headed the cover art. …and I can’t speak Japanese lol.
Jaxx: The main symbol is the toki. That’s kanji; the Japanese character for time. I basically just wanted something different. Every project I release, I want the artwork to be just as unique as the music. I was looking for artwork ideas online and some add came up in Nihongo (Japanese) and I was like, yo, I know what I want. I drew it out first, took a picture then sent it to Alex and the designer.
Where do you do all of your recording and why?
Jaxx: We do it all in Pittsburgh and Toronto. If we don’t record together, I gotta regular studio I go to lay the vocals and then send em to Alex to mix and all that.
Mental: I do all my recording at my spot. Jaxx does his recording and sends it all to me. Once we have all our vocals, I do the mixing at my crib as well.
How do you think your earlier music compares with this release?
Mental: I think our songwriting and subject matter has improved. Our subject matter has expanded. We’re now able to talk about more than just hip hop. I’ve always felt hip hop was best used as a tool to tell your life story or get out whatever you need to get out. If you’re only talking about hip hop, the music becomes less personable to the listeners.
Jaxx: TTNY is something that’s more personal. It’s a concept album, the first time either one of us have ever done something of its kind. Like Alex said, our overall songwriting and subject matter expanded. I dealt with personal relationships on this album: my ex fiance, old management, opinions people had about me, all of that. Plus TTNY was way more concentrated. It was only nine songs, so we put alot of substance in those songs whereas on Hello, Hip Hop and other shit, I had more ground to work with.
What is your favorite album of all time? (in general, not your own music lol)
Mental: lol, that’s really difficult. But If I had to just pick one, it would be moment of truth by Gang Starr. Reason being exactly what I mentioned before. The realness and honesty on that album was above anything else. R.I.P. To Guru.
Jaxx: I couldn’t possibly name one album. That’s too daunting a task to ask.
What artist do you most admire?
Mental: As a group, De La Soul. They’re the only hip hop group I can think of that put all the bull aside in order to keep the group alive. They’ve been the most consistent and long lasting.
Jaxx: Admire is a strong word. I really look up to Lupe Fiasco though, we have a similar set of ideals. We’re both Muslims and dealing with a lot of stuff that exists in opposition to Islam, especially in the music business. The way he carries himself and portrays Islam in all of his songs and lifestyle, even in this business is admirable. I don’t know him personally, but just the things he says in his interviews resonate with me on a personal level.
What inspires you to do hip hop?
Mental: The creativity. When you create something that you, yourself didn’t even think you could do…there’s no other feeling like it. Also, it gives me a voice and a platform to use it. I’m a quiet dude, but I got a lot to say.
Jaxx: Life. Hip Hop is my reflection and interpretation of what happens around me. I mean there are so many components to that question. I love listening to new music, because that fuels such a passion in me to create something new. Hip hop has a place in my heart so any time something really emotional happens in my life, be it good or bad, it inspires me to write. My inspiration comes from my determination to succeed.
Jaxx – will we ever see you battle rap again?
Yeh, haha. I’m entering Grind Time actually. Whether I’ll do Grind Time Mid West or King Of The Dot, I’m not sure, but I’m jumping back in it to set a few examples.
With the success of rappers like Wiz Khalifa, in what direction do you think hip hop is headed?
Jaxx: I think hip hop is headed in the direction the people take it. Hip hop represents the attitude of the people. I think its cool Wiz is out there doing his thing because he initated a grass roots fanbase. Say what you want about him, his fan base is serious. I just hope people don’t think with Wiz and Mac coming out of Pittsburgh that this city is all about party music and niggas smoking weed, cutting class, what ever. For every Wiz and Mac you need an A-Jaxx and Jasiri X, you know what I mean? And I think that’s how Good Company fits right in with the progression of hip hop. Whereas people might say, “Oh, Jaxx can’t do a song with so and so, that doesn’t seem right” and they couldn’t be more wrong, but Good Company can do that. Genres are being knocked down in rap every song by every new artist, so thats the new path I think.
Mental: I really like a lot of the new cats. I like that hip hop is becoming more and more independent again. Wiz is a good example of how you build up a fan base first. You get that fan base and respect them, they’re going to hold you down. If you look at hip hop now, you can’t say that people aren’t trying to be creative. It may sound like crap lol, but at least artists are trying.
Are you planning to do a music video?
Mental: Yip yip! Most likely for “Time”. Were discussing it at this very moment.
Jaxx: “Time” seems the best bet but we may do ones for, “On The Go Back” and or “Clear Conscience” as well.
What’s next for Good Company?
Mental: Hopefully we’ll be doing more shows and we’ll be releasing EP’s every couple months leading up to our next full length.
Jaxx: I just started up this human trafficking ring, it’s been pretty lucrative thus far. So I wanna really continue to focus on that. But on the music side…
We initially planned to do 4 EPs this year and one full length LP. We’re gonna release at least 2 more four track EPs in 2011 and then really try to build something concrete and make power moves with business. Definitely a lot of shows too, for sure, I’ll be rocking with Stalley at Pitt on April 1st.
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The combination of Ayatollah Jaxx and Fundamental has been successful before, as Hello Hip Hop was one of 2010’s best albums, and they’ve recreated that chemistry on This Time Next Year, a solid EP featuring just the right amount of guests to complement the always on-point A-Jaxx. On this effort Fundamental does double duty by both producing as well as dropping bars, and the combination of these two on the mic creates a very listenable project. Ayatollah is an expert at demanding the listener’s attention, his words are memorable and his tone is gripping, this is what separates the average rapper from a truly solid MC and as usual Jaxx gives us a solid collection of relevant verses and important messages mixed with life lessons, this tape is definitely on point.Right out the gate Jaxx blesses “On The Go Back” with a beat that takes all types of unorthodox directions but with his well developed flow he’s able to keep it going while not falling victim to the constantly switching beat. Early on we get a highlight in “Time” as both MCs ride out over the funky beat showcasing their flows (especially Jaxx) and the samples scattered throughout the beat add to the overall dopeness of the track, plus the hook is perfect and the sample to carry it out is ridiculous, this joint is the definition of hip hop, it combines all the proper techniques and talents that a good rap song needs to have. “Go It Alone” is a great somewhat thinly-veiled “fuck you” joint which has been done before in hip hop but all the MCs on the track bring an original feel to it.
Continuing on, “Might Not Make It” is a great conceptual joint about survival in the game and not giving up regardless of the bullshit that happens. You can’t let a couple slip-ups get you down and both MCs spit solid verses over this short track. Another highlight of this project is “Being On” featuring the incredible Varsity Squad as every MC provides their own idea of what it means to “be on” in this rap game and what it really means. After Jaxx rips up “Midnight Switch” he addresses the haters and truly does get the “Last Laugh” over one of the nicest beats on the EP. Finally Jaxx saves his best material for “Clear Conscience” as he spits that truth that some people just can’t handle, that’s “real rap” right there.
Ayatollah Jaxx has already cemented himself as a consistent MC who brings both a razor sharp flow as well as relevant thought provoking lyrics to the game. He has the ability to truly capture the listener’s ears and along with Fundamental they are definitely contributing something good to hip hop, hence Good Company. This Time Next Year is a great little project showcasing both artists’ wide range of talents and is a great holdover to whatever project they got coming out next (which is highly anticipated after hearing this). Both Jaxx and Fundamental deliver solid lyrics and the production is most definitely pure hip hop, what more could you ask for? Check out This Time Next Year and get familiar with Good Company as these two cats are doing great things for hip hop and are only getting better with time.
No rating as it’s a short EP, just check this shit
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The Good Company tandem, Ayatollah Jaxx (Toronto via Pittsburgh, Pa) and Fundamental (Toronto) have released their first full studio album, “This Time Next Year“; an extremely personal concept album about the struggles of dealing with external conflict while breaking into the music industry. The nine track album features fellow Canadian MCs Elley Jeeze and Cashtro Crosby. Also featured are L.E.G.A.C.Y of The Justus League, Dominique Larue and Varsity Squad.This Time Next Year is the follow up to The Good Company duo’s first release, The Damn Good EP (4/22/09). The 5 track EP spawned two videos, garnered over 12,000 downloads and cemented Good Company as a favourite amongst the Canadian underground scene as well as brought success in The States. TTNY is a nine track temporarily free album that is themed according to the past two years of Good Company‘s existence. Fundamental also wears both producer and MC hats on this album to compliment Ayatollah Jaxx.
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