[New Singles] Tank Washington X King Mez, Melat & Ike + Cory Kendrix X Anna Love & Hustle Man

Cory Kendrix from Denver links up with homegirl Anna Love to provide the backing for fellow Love Language member Hustle Man on "Running Game." All three of them came through Texas on the Codeine Sippas Tour and Cory is rocking POP Montreal later this month so it should be pretty lit in Canada next week!

Tank Washington aka Pacboi Tank from Austin teams up with singer-songwriter Melat and LA emcee/producer Ike along with Dr. Dre's new artist King Mez for "Last Days." The single is produced by Haris Q and shows Tank, Ike and King Mez speaking on the dark futures they see possibly unfolding across the nation.

[Day After Show Review] Kydd at Billboard Hot 100 Fest

This last weekend, Kydd Jones and the crew took a trip out East, first stopping by Atlanta to host a night at the infamous Mansion Elan. Then, right after that, he took a redeye flight to NYC for his set at the first ever Billboard Hot 100 Fest at the Nikon Theater on Jones Beach. There were some crazy acts on that festival, with Kydd on the main stage alongside household names like Nikki Minaj, Justin Bieber and Skrillex. With such high stakes, Kydd pulled out the big guns, bringing out special guests like Ab-Soul of TDE and Yaris Sanchez. Jones also dedicated his performance to the late Sean Price, who passed away earlier this month. 

New Single: Kydd Jones - "Still Spinning"

Kydd Jones is performing at the Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival in NY this Sunday and to celebrate, he dropped his new single "Still Spinning" with co-production from Scott Pace and Keef. Stay tuned to the LNS Crew blog for more new music from Kydd because he's got a bunch more surprised in store for everybody before GR33D drops later this year!

[New Music Video] Kydd Jones - Patience

Kydd Jones finally drops his new video "Patience" through All Def Digital! The black and white visual takes us on a trip to Texas where Kydd is working on finishing his new album "GR33D" which will be out shortly. You'll probably see this track on a ton of blogs but stay tuned to LNS Crew Blog.com to learn more about what Kydd will drop next! #Lz

[New Single] Kydd Jones - Thow It Back

Kydd Jones of the LNS Crew drops a new R&B single off of GR33D. This song (produced by Scott Pace) is available for a limited time only so listen to it now before it's offline! Kydd seems to be prepping his listeners for a well rounded and progressive album due for release this year featuring Tory Lanez, Kirko Bangz and Chuck D.

[New Singles] Cory Kendrix - Doses (with Half Man Half & Brill), Cory Kendrix - Lit (with Wise Vibrations)

Cory Kendrix from Denver, Colorado is coming to Texas in August next month, and to celebrate he dropped two new singles, "Doses" with Portland rappers Half Man Half and Brill as well as Lit with Denver rap group Wise Vibrations. Catch Cory in Austin, San Marcos and even Houston next month!

[New Singles] Austin Hiphop June 2015 - July 2015

Kydd Jones - Patience



Kydd released this single recently as a preview of his new tape's sound, with more of a new-age R&B feel. Produced by Scott Pace, this song is supposed to have a video coming out soon so we'll have to stay patient and wait for Kydd's new album GR33D to come soon!

King Kase ft Chamothy & Sertified - Ran Me Up A Check



Die Slo hits hard with this new StonerBoyKP produced joint that was mastered by TrackGonEat. The trap vibes on this one are definitely wavy as Kase, Cham and JD turn up on this song.

Chiclopz - Neva



Chiclopz comes in with this DVZN Media directed video. Produced by DJ Zetroc, The chill boom-bap bassline with vocals and guitars lets Chiclopz kick some street knowledge as his Mindz of A Different Kind compatriots make cameo appearances. The beat changes to a more basic percussion loop at the end, leaving you to wonder what else Chiclopz will drop.

D.O.S. - Do What It Do



DOS of SubKulture Patriots delivers this single off his "Obey The Raw" album with this Ari Morales-directed music video. The hype boom-bap beat from Ruler Why is grimy as hell and suits DOS as he parties with his friends. Check out the intro at the beginning as well of this extended director's cut.

Chamothy The Great - Dead Petals EP



Chamothy's new project is consistently high-quality, starting with the intro instrumental and going into "Early Dis Morning" with Fiyah Boy Flame Gang. "That Real" with King Kase and Sertified goes into the smooth "Pimp Talk" with Ben Al & another appearance from FBFG. The EP closes out with a standout in the indie influenced "MT4T's" which has a super catchy hook with Pacboi Tank of LNS Crew delivering the last verse. We heard a video for this joint is in the works, can't wait to see it!

Casino - Politics, Parties & Bullshit



Veteran Austin emcee and The Cleaners affiliate Casino of FratHouse Gang says this is his last album, and if so he goes out with a bang. There are a ton of Austin rappers featured on this album but my favorite cut off the project as Casino takes a realistic and nostalgic look at the rap game over a Chef Greezy beat.

Solis Made - Stop Lying



Element 8 Music Group dropped off this video to us, with Solis Made spitting aggressively over a trap beat. This is a young clique that's on the come up so keep your eyes peeled!

Country Cousins - Jugga Man



KPaul and Pimpin Pen dropped this heavy second single off their new tape "Country Kingz" with DJ Smallz. Unlike the tape's first single,  "Taking Risks" featuring Kydd Jones, this one is more of a trap hype banger.

Sertified - 3 AM



This new joint Sertified and Click Clack put out a little bit ago had us vibing. The heavy samples and bass are mixed by Garbage Man and give you an idea of the frenetic pace with which Sertified is working at.

Cha'keeta B - Freaks Only ft RJ Maine



Chakeeta B teams up with RJ Maine on this joint where she gives you the female perspective on getting freaky. She's been on the rise as a Texas rapper for these last few years so she's definitely got a lot of people's attention on what she'll drop next.

Soopa Frendz - Soopa Mix Vol One



SoopaFrendz out of Austin dropped this new mixtape and we were feeling this party rocker off the tape which features multiple members of the group and is produced by SoopaFrendz member Mista Mozes.

Norman Ba$e - Splash



Upstate New York raised, Austin resident Norman Ba$e released this new video of him rapping over a trap beat.

Phranchyze - Get On My Level


ATX rap veteran Phranchyze comes out with a poppier joint than we're accustomed to seeing from him. Not mad though, this song is dope!

Malik - Breakaway

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Malik out of Austin, Texas releases his new project and put out this new video. I'm pretty sure this is the Greenbelt where he shot this but I could be wrong.

Deezie Brown - Little League Villains



Deezie Brown drops this new Kydd Jones produced banger. Deezie has been changing his sound in the last year or two since "Hoop Dreams" so you know his next album is gonna be crazy!

Khalil Farran - Arab Samurai Mixtape



Palestinian refugee and Arab rapper Khalil Farran of Austin, Texas brings out his new mixtape produced by Scan Reason. He explores a lot of political topics and his upbringing (even rapping in Arabic on a track or two). This track features Geto Boys rapper Bushwick Bill.

Pacboi Tank - Picture Me Rollin (Lounge Remix)



GoDJ Knowledge unearthed this old freestyle from Tank Washington the other day. Make sure to check out their new Radio show "Over Tacos" available at www.soundcloud.com/theovertacosshow!

Eric Dingus - Apple Beats mix ft Drake & Oliver El-Khatib



The young producer/DJ prodigy made his first appearance on Apple Beats 1 Radio closing out the OVO radio show. Austin rappers S.Dot and Dowrong of the LOEGz repped for the city and both have solo albums coming with Dingus soon so keep watching!

How to approach a producer for beats

It seems so simple, right? You've been killing freestyles left and right with the squad, you shut down ciphers at parties, maybe you even went to an open mic and flowed over some instrumentals. You tagged half your Facebook and Instagram feed in your newest freestyle video, got a bunch of comments and were only blocked by a couple of people. Everyone comes up to you and tells you you're dope, now you're ready to get on. You need to get some hot beats from a producer because you don't wanna just use the same industry beats everyone else is using, right? I mean, unless you're Jay-Z or 50 Cent, nobody really cares about your freestyle over "Energy" or "We Dem Boyz." You need to make a new record that people can jam, so you gotta get at one of the big record producers you can find and try to make a dope track together. What could go wrong?

Turns out that a lot of people don't really have their priorities straight when coming at a producer for beats, especially one with credits under their belt. Back in the day, the idea was that artists didn't have to worry that much about handling business with producers because that was something that the labels and their lawyers would handle. But it's 2015 now and times have changed; artists are increasingly more independent now and have to talk to producers themselves which means you have to be both an artist and a businessperson. This is something that's hard to handle at first for some people. But this has always been true in the music industry, now it's just much more so. If you haven't had much experience in the music business, you might leave a bad impression on a producer and make them hate you. So we asked Kydd Jones, Scott Pace and H+ of the LNS Crew about some "dos and donts" for how to get a dope joint from a producer! This advice, of course, can be generalized for creative types in general, but is specific to the hip-hop conundrum of a rapper asking a producer for beats.

- Be serious when you contact a producer because first impressions mean a lot. These people get hit up frequently by people they don't know that well and usually have to weed out the bullshitters. This means that they're looking for a red flag to indicate that you're going to just waste their time. Try to do a little research first and look them up before you ask about some information that's readily available (like if they have a Soundcloud or what they've done in the past), it'll show that you at least are serious enough about the music to spend some time learning about the person.

- Show them that you value their art and creative skills (aka PAY THEM $$$$). Yes, let's be honest. Paying a producer and showing them financially that you're willing to establish that relationship with them is the best way to get a beat. Ask for quotes because you'll get the producer's attention and they'll probably wanna write you back. Paypal is your friend, but Western Union and Money Gram are common as well.

- Don't hit up a producer about a beat until you have a business plan or are ready to make a transaction. You would think this might be common sense but you'd be surprised. Producers get annoyed when somebody bugs them about a beat but doesn't buy it until four months down the road. Doing this will basically say to a producer, "I don't care about your time, just follow my demands and hopefully you'll get compensated!" Even doing something like putting down a deposit on a beat will at least show the producer that you're serious about doing business with them. If you've expressed interest in a project or a beat, try to follow through or keep the producer updated because nothing is worse than someone who is always in your ear saying, 'Lemme listen to that what if you did that' and then never throws you any cash.

 

- Don't say that you're broke. Let's be honest, we've all been at tough financial points in our lives at one point. But there's just so many better ways to say "Realistically my budget isn't quite where I'd like it to be" or "Unfortunately our budget at this time is only XXX" than "I'm broke" or "Help me set up a payment plan." Saying you're broke just makes you sound hopeless. Hip hop music in 2015 is probably not going to be the best way to solve your problem of having no money.

- If you do exchange money for their services, handle your business properly. Try not to change up dollar amounts at the last minute (IE saying you'll pay $200 for a beat and then just send them $75 saying "I got you later" without prior notice).  A lot of producers feel like selling beats makes them have two jobs, producer and detective/hunter/financial planner/bill collector (which if you add that up kinda comes out to more than two jobs haha).

- Don't just say "let's work" and then nothing else because what the hell does that mean? Chances are, if you're hitting up that producer trying to get tracks from them, they're already working. So that means the producer has to work to make the beat and to make you sound good. After that, if you don't release the song or do but don't have the promo or PR game to push it, the producer ends up doing all the work for basically nothing except whatever financial compensation occurred. "Let's work" is such a vague phrase that it becomes meaningless. Even if you preface it with a compliment like "Dope music" or "I like your stuff," saying "let's work" followed by no other details basically means to a producer, "I'm trying to sucker you into following me into a rabbit hole of discussion in the hopes that I just may happen to conduct business with you."

- Know the difference between leasing and buying a beat and having exclusives. A news flash is that if you're spending less than a couple hundred on a beat, chances are it's probably just a lease to the beat and you don't actually own the rights to it. Trackouts are usually extra and some producers will consider that essentially "buying" the beat.

- Producers might not wanna be smoked out or have a vibing session or let you slide through the crib one time if they don't know you that well. If you ask them what they're up to right now, they're probably making a beat and they stopped to check their messages or their email. Maybe they don't need any new friends right now.

- Don't be creepy. Again, you'd think this was common sense. A lot of musicians are a little bit different than what might be considered "normal." And not everybody is the super social type. But being just a weirdo and a creep and bugging people too much is generally not a good way to make a favorable impression on someone.

- If you have a legitimate creative resume, it's always good to let a producer know as that may have them pay attention to what you're capable of. But be humble and don't overstress your accomplishments. It's great to have done cool things in your career and to be on the verge of doing something more but at the same time if you act like you're doing a hundred different things at once, most people in the industry will see through it if you're not being real.

- Personal connections always help, if you know the producer through a mutual friend or even if you know them personally. It always helps to have somebody independent vouch for you or if the producer knows you. But don't be the random cat from back in the day that tries to call in an old favor without handling business properly first. Just because you have the same friends and you knew somebody five years ago probably doesn't mean you deserve different treatment.

- Remember that producers are artists too. If you're working with them, try not to be the micromanaging type that asks them to change and tweak every detail (unless you're paying well) because they're probably going to think that it wasn't worth the effort dealing with you.

- Think about the context before you start asking a producer if there are samples in particular tracks. Obviously getting your work licensed and whatnot is cool and it's great if a track gets placed somewhere, but most amateur musicians working on a mixtape don't really have to worry about getting sued or having a sample cleared. Usually as an independent artist, if a song is big enough to get you sued, you probably did something right. Also, do some research on the producer you're talking to because if all they do is sample and you ask that question you'll seem ridiculous. Imagine talking to Pete Rock or 9th Wonder and sounding interested in a beat and then stopping to be like "Wait, are there samples? I dunno now bro…"

Hopefully this will give aspiring rappers and managers the mindset they need in order to successfully build relationships with producers who can ultimately help them make great music and grow their careers. Check out our next article on janky promoters... how to not be one and how to spot one!

[Podcast] The Over Tacos Show - Episode 3

Austinites Pacboi Tank and GoDJ Knowledge team up with LNS Crew Blog, Optimo Radio and Dirty South Radio to bring you the Over Tacos Show. On this episode of the "Over Tacos" podcast, Tank and Knowledge discuss Kendrick Lamar opening at the BET awards, ASAP Rocky getting the cover of The Source and his role in the new movie, "Dope," Beyonce and The Weeknd headlining "Made In America" 2015 in Philly, the Free Weezy Album, Diddy, Ross & DMX getting arrested, the Warriors and Blackhawks winning, the NBA draft, UFC, and the whole controversy over the Confederate flag and gay marriage being legalized.

1. What's Been Going On- Die Slo
2. Hi Sidin'- Lil O
3. No Discussion- 5th Ward JP ft Sauce Waka
4. Down South Hustlers- Young Dolph ft Slim Thug & Paul Wall
5. Finessin Remix- Baby E ft Kevin Gates & Lil Bibby

[New Single] Cory Kendrix - Wanna Be ft FL of Foodchain and Hustle Man

Cory Kendrix celebrates his recent Westword Music Showcase performance out in Denver by dropping this new single featuring fellow Colorado emcees F.L. of Foodchain and Hustle Man of D.O.P.E Game. This is a turn up joint for sure and shut the stage down in Denver when he performed it live! Cory's gonna be dropping new music all through the year so keep your ears open!

[Podcast] The Over Tacos Show - Episode 2

Austinites Pacboi Tank and GoDJ Knowledge team up with LNS Crew Blog, Optimo Radio and Dirty South Radio to bring you the Over Tacos Podcast. In Episode 2, Tank and Knowledge discuss the Walter Scott shooting, Eric Casebolt, Rachel Dolezal, the third season of "Power," the NBA and NHL Finals, Dez Bryant, Chris Houston, Baron Davis, Lil Wayne, YG, Rick Ross, Drake's new role in iTunes Radio, and the new song by Nicki Minaj's ex.The featured taco spot of the week is Enchiladas Y Mas, and music featured includes the new Flick Of The Wrist remix from Chedda Da Connect, Chamothy The Great's "MT4T's," Dat Boy Supa's "Black In America," new music from Eric Dingus and the LOEGz plus more.

TRACK LIST
1. I Don't Give a Fuck - Trae tha Truth
2. MT4Ts - Cham tha Great
3. Magic Lost - S.Dot x Eric Dingus
4. Black In America - Dat Boi Supa
5. Flicka Da Wrist Remx - Chedda Da Connect
6. Wanna Be - Cory Kendrix

[New Singles] Austin Hiphop May 2015 - June 2015

Kydd Jones and Tank Washington - Never Again



Straight from DJBooth.net comes a new leak from San Antonio producer J Money's new EP. The song features LNS Crew member Kydd Jones (who is gearing up to launch his new album, "GR33D") and Tank Washington. J. Money has produced for cats like Chicago's Mick Jenkins and San Antonio's Worldwide and is known for his chill boom bap influenced sound and this track is no exception as Kydd and Tank spit bars about coming up in a harsh environment and trying to make the most out of living in a bad situation.

Junior - Round Here



Junior recently dropped a new video (shot by Rodney Pinz) to this song on VEVO so here's the Soundcloud link to the song. Junior talks about how he's steadily been coming up in Bat City and has been focused on getting his bank account right. Junior's been puttin in work for a while and definitely is motivated to prove himself in the Austin hip-hop scene so keep your eye out on him.

GDMG Rocky & Slow Boogey - Puttin In Work ft Kevin Gates



Coming out of East Austin, Slow Boogey and GDMG Rocky rep TP3 on this new single. This trap song is on some club/party shit which makes sense consider it features Baton Rouge superstar Kevin Gates. TP3 is trying to make their name known in Austin by putting out quality street music and with songs like this they're definitely well on their way.

Dowrong & Eric Dingus ft Nicole Ariana - Houston

 
From OVO producer Eric Dingus and LOEGz youngblood Dowrong aka Lil Bully comes this banger featuring Nicole Ariana. Dingus is a master of wavy atmospheric trap beats, so combine that with a melodic hook that's done well courtesy of Nicole and Dowrong can't miss. I think doing stuff like this is a welcome change from his aggressive fast flow and it'll be interesting to see if he keeps stuff up like this for "Stack and Starve."

Kid Flame The Godson - T.R.I.L.L Shit Only ft Killa Kyleon




Kid Flame The Godson comes out the gate swinging with this new single with H-Town underground legend Killa Kyleon produced by Austin whiz Ty On Da Track. Killa bodies this joint and Kid Flame contributes some dope verses as well. I'd never heard of Kid Flame before but this song is a dope listen so make sure to peep game on this one.

$.dot & Eric Dingus - Magic Voila



This song was featured on the Houston Appreciation Weekend 2 tape that Dingus dropped through OVO a while back. The young producer phenom has really been putting ATX on the map lately and this song is no different, with COD and LOEGz member $.dot repping for 78704 with this banger. $.Dot is like the quintessential Southern street battle rapper and he's apparently got a whole solo project brewing with Dingus that looks like it could be an Austin hiphop classic.

Sertified - Is This What You Want



Sertified dropped off a loosie produced by Kydd Jones. The track features an energetic Sertified talking about the area where he comes from and what he's had to go through. He's got a few new projects on the way so you'll definitely be hearing from the Austin native again soon.

Dat Boy Supa - Black In America ft International Scoot & DOS



Dallas-raised Austin resident Dat Boy Supa drops this new track featuring Austin emcees International Scoot and DOS. The three African-American emcees speak on the experience of being black in America, where mainstream white people love the urban culture that is popularized by the media but at the same time are frightened by the idea of black people actually occupying the same space as them.

Chamothy The Great - Blackbook Playa ft 2Tone


Chamothy of Die Slo dropped this new joint, an ode to South Austin on some country shit. If you've ever cruised down the intersection of 290 West and Mopac, you gonna feel this Southside shit as Chamothy shouts out Manchaca on the song, plus 2Tone contributes a smooth feature verse as well.

Uptown Joe - Texanaboyz Dope Boy



AAE emcee Uptown Joe represents for both Texas and Louisiana on this ode to trap dealing. Joe has been in the mean streets and knows there's a better way out the hood and he spits about what he's seen on this song.

Clova - Watch Out ft CuttaMuzik



Yung Clova from the Southside teams up with ATX producer/emcee CuttaMuzik (who has produced for Texas acts like Chalie Boy & J.Dawg) for this song which describes the paranoia that Austinites always feel when we're riding dirty in our city and know there's gotta be a cop somewhere. Especially them unmarked cars, those are the worst.

JSoulja - Lean



Austinite Jalen Howard aka JSoulja drops this new joint produced by Chris Winston. JSoulja's been making noise for a while and shows his growth on this recent song and if he keeps dropping stuff like this don't be surprised if you see him on bigger platforms in the future.

Ike - Still Classic ft Mic Flo & Poise



June 5th was Mike and Ike Day in Austin as proclaimed by Mayor Will Wynn back in the day, and to celebrate, Ike aka 2020 released this new Haris Qureshi-produced single featuring Ohio's Mic Flo and Austin-by-way-of-Chicago resident Poise. Ike just released an album a few months ago with guys like Kydd Jones, Cory Kendrix and Laws on it so check that out as well!

Ruler Why - Lo Clasico Vol 2




San Antonio-raised Austin resident Ruler Why dropped a new instrumental album on Bandcamp and if you know Ruler, you know he's always working on some new underground boom bap albums. This one is no different, with menacing hip-hop beats galore for emcees and instrumental rap heads. This song in particular features a dope piano sample and bassline.

Click Clack - Housework 2.5



Click Clack drops the newest series of his Housework mixtapes. This one definitely seems to be his least serious as he mostly fucks around with a sardonic sense of cynicism and a somewhat angry look at identity as a mixed-breed in Austin in the mix of several different genres with hip-hop, indie rock and electronica. This song, "Away" off the album is actually pretty catchy, with a screwed verse between the hook which is dope. If Clack can synthesize something that draws all his influences into a musically consistent project, he could really make a lot of noise and not just in Austin.

Robby Shorts - Illest Kat




Young East Austin rapper Robby Shorts comes out with his new mixtape "Illest Kat." This guy has been working on his craft for a while so keep an eye out for him.

Team Next & Schema Posse Boz - The Recipe Vol. 1




Fresh off the release of their #2400 project, Team Next continues their momentum by dropping a collaborative effort with Three Six Mafia affiliate Da Bosnian of SchemaPosse. The 78724 continues to rep hard for the Austin scene with this new EP. This song and the last one probably have my favorite beats on there, and I hear there's already a second volume of this series on the way so we'll see what else these guys cook up.

Tee Double - Gas Mask


Austin's Tee Double drops off another album. The intro cut off here shows Tee pining over the lack of real emcees in the mainstream hip hop realm over some synth and grooving guitar. Tee's been doing this rap thing for a long time, but some experimentation here and there wouldn't hurt and him switching his flow to a faster pace on "Black Fist Solid" serves as a nice change of pace later in the album. Some more focused and diverse song-writing wouldn't hurt too, but one thing you certainly can't knock Tee Double for is consistency.

Ben Al ft Sertified - Lighter 4 Ya



Sertified and Ben Al team up for this chill song about smoking that's produced by Chamothy The Great of Die Slo. Sertified contributes a comedic weed aesthetic while Ben Al provides some lackadaisical vocal vibes at the beginning. Apparently there's a video coming out for this joint so stay tuned for that.

The Undergrind - Declaration



The Undergrind drops this dope underground hip-hop single about what it means to be a minority in 2015 America. Austin's Mirage and Philly-raised Austinite Side Effect spit reality rap about the obstacles normal people have to go through and the struggles black people are going through right now.

Kenny Gee - Work ft Yung Mike




Another youngster, Kenny Gee of Austin dropped a new track with Yung Mike. This energetic trap joint shows Gee and his homie talking about how they get money to blow in the Live Music Capital of the World. Kenny Gee will be opening for JMBLYA in New Braunfels later this month.

Space Camp Death Squad - Joe Dassin




Space Camp Death Squad drops courtesy of the Chronicle with this backpacker boom bap joint produced by Marcel Andrie. Namedropping cats like Lord Jamar and Rick Perry seems normal on this juxtaposition of Austin hipster punk and Internet cloud hip-hop.

Eli 44 & Schema Posse Boz - Rebound ft Jonathas



Eli 44 of Montopolis crew PIE and Three Six Mafia affiliate Da Bosnian team up and drop off the first single off their "Cora II" EP. Brazilian-American singer Jonathas provides the hook as Eli talks smooth to a chick that he's trying to get at. Definitely interested to see what the EP sounds like.

Scuare - Quittich



Scuare released this loosie in May where he exercises his rapid multisyllable flow and also shows off his melodic ability as well. If he keeps putting in work and releasing solid projects, the mainstream Austin media will quickly pick up on this guy's stuff.

[Podcast] The Over Tacos Show - Episode 1

In this episode, Tank and Knowledge talk about "Lil Mama" and her new song, "Sausage;" Sauce Walka of the Sauce Twinz and his opinions on Houston Appreciation Weekend; the NBA Finals and Steph Curry; the Texas floods; the recent drama in I Support ATX Hip Hop; and play some new music from Cory Kendrix, Sertified and Ben Al, Team Next, Junior & more.

[New Interviews] Cory Kendrix || GoDJ Knowledge

Cory Kendrix

As a singer-songwriter, producer and emcee, what is your mindset lately when it comes to making music? What are some of your recent influences?

Lately when I go into creative mode, I've been taking a lot of influence from the people I surround myself with in the studio and the vibe that's set while we're working. I have a tendency to not listen to much new stuff (outside of the crew shit) while working on a project so I can stay as original to our sound as possible but I'm always bumpin the oldies in the car (OutKast, Little Brother, J-Dilla, Do or Die, etc). I've been on some weird indie shit lately, jammin Anna's vinyl collection in the mornings with my son so that's opened my mind to different soundscapes for sure! Shoutout to Modest Mouse and Radiohead for gettin my day started off right, haha.

Who were some of the first people in the game who showed you love when you started rapping? 

MAAAAAYNE! So many people to name and so many stories to tell, haha! First and foremost, my brothers Kydd and Tank really showed me the ropes to the rap shit in like 8th or 9th grade but probably even more importantly was their little brother Slim (Randy); he was my right hand man when I first started out! Me, Slim, Dijon and Staci Russell use to sit in my walk-in closet at like age 14 and record all day on Acid Pro over industry beats on a shitty ass computer mic with a sock wrapped around it, haha... that's where I really first got my feet wet. We were going by Southern Boy ENT back then way before it switched to LNS and my old rap name was Yung Dru, haha. Then Staci introduced me to Y2JJ around the same time back when it was still Phillies Beats (before Pick Ya Poison) and I would basically just sit in his studio all day and stand over his shoulder and watch this fool make beat after beat and that got me started on the production side of things. He's always been a Super Producer so that really helped me figure out how to manipulate sounds and try different shit. Soon after that Kydd, Scott Pace, Wayne Stax and myself started working at an old local studio ATX Productions (Shoutout Chris and Tommy) over by The Landing Strip and T-Flo's old studio, they would always let us record for free because we brought them so many paid clients just from word of mouth so it was all love. They really helped me figure out the more professional side of the recording process. It wouldn't be right if I didn't shoutout Mike C and the whole MA$H movement, that's where I really got the performance side of things down. We use to rock on allllllllll the shows and that's really where I started to find my sound and started playing around with the singing and songwriting aspect. Then after that we started the LNS movement and the rest is history!

You've lived in a lot of places before moving to Denver. How do the Oregon and Texas hip-hop scenes compare to Denver's? 

So the Oregon Hip-hop scene is dope, it's definitely more on some backpack rap type shit as opposed to Texas where it's more or less Screw, trap & street shit hahaha. But there are a lot of dope artists and producers out there in Oregon. I actually have a super dope boom-bap project coming out soon with an incredible producer out of Portland named 5th Sequence so look out for that soon, as well as another EP I'm currently working on with accredited producer Stewart Villain (who is also nice with the raps too which we plan on showing people with the project we got) coming out in the distant future. Shoutout to Cool Nuts, Epp, Myke Bogan, Tope, Ill Mac, and everybody at We Out Here Mag for always showing love! Also, shoutout to little bro Max and everybody else that stayed buying beats from me during my travels and Q for always keeping a roof over my head and food in my stomach while I was out there, haha. So far, Denver has been waaaay different then Texas and Oregon. On one side of things, the backpack rap is super strong out here which is cool and then there's an EDM scene that's crazy out here but I think me personally being a well rounded musician (being that I rap, produce, sing, write, and engineer) has really helped me progress quickly out here that along with the fact that my Texas influence and West Coast sound stands out among the crowd out here. Most recently, I've been working on a lot of super dope content with my new-found bros Catch Lungs and Hustle Man so definitely stay tuned for that stuff it's fire! Also I was nominated for Solo Hip Hop Artist of the Year by the Denver Westword so you can vote for me on their website!

You can follow Cory at twitter.com/CoryKendrix and instagram.com/CoryKendrix.

GoDJ Knowledge

A lot of people remember you DJing for J.Kapone back in the day before he got locked up. You also did a lot of gigs with Wes Sanders as The Dynamic Duo. How'd you meet them?

Man, J.Kapone was that artist that was really out here doing it. It wasn't a question about it, he had the street fame before the rap fame. It's that 50 cent thing when someone has some skills and the background to perpetuate it, it goes hand in hand so the city embraces it.

We had tons of mutual friends and had met him multiple times. I'll be honest, he dissed me twice before he started fucking with me. Me and my homeboy Power Paul were at Rosewood Park and J.Kapone heard he should fuck with me but was like "Nah I fuck with DJ Big Baby" who was part of the Screw Shop. At the time, I was just starting and was like "Fuck everybody." If you were a well-known DJ, I was coming for your spot. Kapone was like "I'ma holla at you when you get poppin. When you poppin, I'ma holla at you." I had done shows with COD and KPaul and Pimpin were getting their grind on, What A Hustle was poppin. Back at the Karma Lounge I remember we'd get it so crunk they had to shut it down. I remember one time Kapone saw me and was like "You really out here." The first project I did with him was "All In My Deck" with Tosin and we just kept it moving from there.

Black Mike was needing a DJ and Wes Sanders was going to borrow my equipment. I had been trying to work with Wes Sanders since he was working with What It Dew.   I went over to his crib and just kinda fucked around on the tables and cliqued up. We both clicked with personality wise. He was doing a lot of shows with Devin and other concerts so we were going to each other's shows and we been gettin money ever since. He been layin back with the birth of his kid but we got more gigs comin up.

What's one of the crazier gigs that you played?

It was an MTV party. It had the cast from the Hills, the dude from Rob and Big. I was nervous cause they said they don't want no hiphop.  I was already on serato so it wasn't no thing. I downloaded some dance stuff, I had a good collection of songs that everybody loves. I just made it groovy. But once everybody started coming in, I had it going into some dance shit. Fuckin Britney Spears and shit, DJ Kurupt gave me a bunch of dope timeless records too. Once everybody started getting drunk, you had stars coming upto the DJ Booth asking for hiphop. They all wanted to hear "Pop Bottles," I played that song seven times that night. I ended up playing nothing but rap for the last hour, closed it with a singalong of Sublime's "Santarita" the club owner told me it was rocking and they had a good night. I got invited to do another MTV party too, it was dope. I walked out feeling like I was the champ, on cloud nine. Protege got me the gig and was like "I don't know what you did, but you killed it..." Another dope show was Crissette Michelle at MJ's.




What you describe your DJ style as? Who some of your influences as a DJ?

B-sides and ghetto shit. Those were the records I had, Slick Rick, KRS, Rakim, jump into some NWA, 8Ball and MJG, Fat Pat, Lil Keke. I wear so many hats, when I bring out to quinceneras, I'll play some cumbia or some Brooks and Dunn "Neon Moon" or some shit. Some AC/DC. But that's just how a real DJ is. I don't care if you got knobs or some tables or even some reel-to-reels, I'ma have to do my job. I came up under real cats that were like "Nah, you not a real DJ." I came up as a student of the game. Talkin bout Grandmaster Flash, Kid Capri, Doo Wop, Tony Touch, DJ S&S, that old school New York shit. Jazzy Jeff, DJ Cash Money, take it back to DJ Brucie B on Paid In Full. Down here, it wasn't down like that.

You can follow Knowledge at twitter.com/GoDJKnowledge and instagram.com/GoDJKnowledge.

LNS Crew nominated in the Austin Hip Hop Awards

Well, it's that time of year folks. The Austin Hip Hop Awards are here and LNS Crew is definitely representing this year. A lot of homies on the nominations as well, but you know we gotta rep for the Lz! Kydd Jones and Sertified's video for "Where I Live" was nominated for "Video Of The Year."

 

Kydd was also nominated for Male Artist of the Year as well as Producer of the Year. Cory Kendrix was also nominated for Producer of the Year. LNS was nominated for Group of the Year, so vote now!

[Day After Writeup] Blue The Misfit At RED 7

Dallas and Austin hip hop linked up under one roof downtown last night in the Red River District. A lot of attention has been brought to the Triple D's hip hop scene with recent acts like Post Malone & A.Dd+ among others bringing a national spotlight to the North Texas hip-hop scene. Two of its most buzzing emcees in Blue The Misfit and -topic made the trip down south to the Texas capitol to represent for the City of Hate at Red 7. There were a lot of up and coming Austin artists taking the stage as well, not to mention a psychedelic rock concert going on in the backyard.

With Transmission Events & Red Bull Sound Select promoting the show plus free tacos with chips and salsa in the building courtesy of Platypus Promotions and Keep Austin Live Productions, it was already jumping by the time GoDJ Knowledge took a break from spinning to introduce Soulfresca. Their energetic performance set the tone for the night, with Capn Kirk taking the stage next. Accompanied by Rudi Devino of SubKulture Patriots and $. of The LOEGz, Kirk showed why he's been on a lot of local's radar as an ATX hip-hop act to keep your eye out for. Sertified went on after him and represented the Die Slo camp as one of the Austin underground's most unique acts. He warmed the stage up for Kydd Jones of the LNS Crew, who brought his brother Tank out to rock with him. Kydd and Tank have been killing mics in Austin for years and listeners got to experience Kydd playing a lot of new songs off his upcoming album GR33D.

By the time -topic took the stage, it was clear that a high bar had been sent and -topic delivered an impassioned performance with fellow Team From Nowhere member KoolQuise. The two showed why their reputation as Deep Ellum backpack rappers is well deserved as they presented their brand of indie hip-hop to residents of the Bat City. Blue The Misfit closed out the show with his high energy and electronic tinged production, donning a mask and even bringing out Austinite Dre Prince for a guest performance. All in all, DFW and ATX showed that there is a lot of talent in the hip-hop scene in Texas outside of Houston and don't be surprised if you see some of these artists pop up on some very big stages in the future.

[New Interviews] Tank Washington || Blue The Misfit

Tank Washington

Most recently, you've worked with emcees like Killa Kyleon, Dee-1 & GLC but a lot of people don't know that you and your brother Kydd were signed to 33rd St Records which was part of Tower Records back in the day. What was that like?

Man, I was young and it was a lot of fun but also definitely a learning experience. Big shoutout to Checkmate and Above All for putting us in a position like that at the age of seventeen.

As someone who grew up in the projects of South and East Austin, what are some of the craziest things you saw as a kid growing up? What are some of the differences between old Austin and new Austin to you?

One of the craziest things I seen? Some family stuff I won't mention, but I guess also seeing the drug game up close and just witnessing how things have changed. Now everybody's recording everything and you got Instagram and YouTube and all that. There's way more dry snitching and senseless bragging nowadays haha.



Many consider you the most street or hardcore style rapper in LNS Crew. Why do you think that is?

Cause I don't give a fuck about art. I just rap and say what I feel. I don't care about being the best... Not to take away from my brothers but I listen to a lot of stuff that they don't. I feel like musically I can do it all, but a lot of my friends are still in the streets and that's where I came up so I talk about that so people like me and them can understand it.

A lot of people hadn't heard a whole project from you until 2013's "6 Shots EP." You've been heavily featured on both the LNS Crew mixtapes, what have you got cooking up next?

Right now I'm knocking out this mixtape with DJ Knowledge that I wanna drop soon. I also got another EP that I'm working on too, that's in the rough stages. You know us, we stay cookin nigga!

You can follow Tank at twitter.com/Pacboitank and instagram.com/Pacboitank.

Blue The Misfit

You've worked with a lot of emcees in your career: obviously Top Dawg Entertainment and Snow Tha Product come to mind. Who are some of the rappers in Texas that you're digging and think have the potential to be as big as those artists?

Tough call... I've noticed the movements that Maxo Kream & The Sauce Twins have been creating in Houston which is impressive, A.Dd+ (Dallas) has all the tools at their disposal, they just need a well rounded album to drop. Crit Life (Fort Worth) has a crazy social media presence that has started generating some buzz already, and finally Sam Lao (Dallas) is a wild card with her wide range of abilities and image.

As a producer, DJ, and emcee, you're always out on the Dallas scene. Out of all the rappers that also produced AND can DJ or DJed frequently, who is your favorite?

I can only think of 2 other people that's done all 3 and that's Q-tip and Jermaine Dupri. However, I saw Just Blaze DJ at SXSW and he murdered it. Erykah Badu's sets have been legit too.




You've really hit the ground running to promote your new album, doing FunFunFun Fest, Red Bull Sound Select gigs left and right, and you're on the upcoming ScoreMore JMBLYA festival too. Yet one might say that outside of Dallas, you've been undermentioned. Do you feel that there is a tendency for the mainstream media to overlook Dallas rap artists in favor of Houston artists when mentioning Texas?

Possibly. Houston does have a more glorified past and they also get to benefit from their OGs from time to time which is a luxury that we Dallas artists don't have. I think the media is still trying to figure out what the hell is going on here. We have a eclectic bunch of talent; the main acts here all have different styles and sounds that are worth checking out but can seem overwhelming from the outside looking in. I think they just expect one act to blow up before they give the rest of us any notice, which is unfortunate.

You've been extremely active in your solo career but people who have been following you for a while remember you from Brain Gang and Sore Losers. Given your music and style have changed so much since your early days, where do you see yourself going with your musical career having already accomplished so much?

I just want to keep evolving. My aim isn't to become somebody super rich and famous. I just want to keep pushing my form of art to its limits. I want to make records that are ahead of their time, make shit that MY fans will enjoy, and whatever path that takes me down is what I'm looking forward to.

You can follow Blue at twitter.com/bluethemisfit and instagram.com/bluethemisfit.

[New Interviews] -topic || Sertified

-topic

What were some of your first performances in Austin like? How does it compare with Dallas or Denton?

My first performances in Austin were simple - a PA system, a flash drive, and a couple of mics - but I could always feel the energy and appreciation out there. I loved it from the start. Dallas and Denton have a few similarities, but I gotta say Austin has THAT vibe.

As a producer as well as rapper, who are some of your biggest influences as far as musicians in general?

MISSY ELLIOTT. MISSY ELLIOTT (yes, she gets the first two slots). Timbaland. Outkast (3000, wha up!), J*Davey, K-oS, a bunch of rock and jazz and stuff with no words by people I don't quite remember, and a bunch of other soundtracks from video games.




You've been really active outside of Dallas, do you believe that it's possible nowadays to have success based only in Texas or do you think going out of town and building your name/brand while claiming Texas (or Dallas, specifically) is the more viable option?

With the internet and a car, ANYTHING is possible. Ha! In my opinion, home will be home - get out and see the world.

What do you envision the next step in your evolution as an artist to be?

I'm gonna squad up with a couple people I've looked up to, learn, study and play my ass off, and teach myself new things. There's a lot more to it, but I won't talk yer head off.

You can follow -topic at twitter.com/sosotopic and instagram.com/sosotopic.

Sertified

Everybody in Austin knows you represent the South Side. What are some of your favorite places that represent South Austin to you?

Places like the S.1st/Oltorf area are what comes to mind when I think about this side of the city. I bought my first CD's at a place that is still up there named "Turntables" that my mom had taken me to as a kid. Another place for me is the "weird" strip of South Congress that is still very active aswell. These areas have really developed in these few past years. It's a bittersweet thing seeing the people come and go but growth definitely is necessary. These place give off the vibe of what South Austin embodies in my opinion.

You really started getting attention outside Austin with your last album, FilthyFckingHumans. How did that album came about?

Being active on these socials. I caught the attention of a producer that goes by the name of Heartbeatz, I started to follow him through Twitter and after diving into his Soundclick page I found a beat I liked and me & the homies recorded to it that night. The following day he hit me up out the blue and said he dug what I had going on & wanted to shoot me a beat. I then replied back with what we had already recorded to from the night before & from there the relationship blossomed into 15+ songs and counting. He's an extremely dope producer that has a funky-rich mix between West Coast & Southern styles of beats and they come all the way from Germany!



As far as Mexican rappers, probably the most famous rappers are Cypress Hill out of California and then it's kind of a steep drop off. It seems like nowadays there are a lot of Spanish-speaking hip hop artists, musically do you feel a need to represent that side of your culture?

I'll be honest: I wish I could contribute more to that "lane of music" that intertwines Spanish/English lyrics but being that I can't speak the language, it has me somewhat stuck in the middle of that barrier because I was raised in a Mexican-American home but was brought up in a mainstream hip-hop culture of the early 90's so I wasn't responsive to anything other than that. I definitely have always embraced my culture now that I've grown to learn more about it as an adult. To answer your question though, I do feel the need to rep but not by me trying to be someone I'm not; I'll do it by paying homage to the people, places and things that I can take something from morally.

What are the next projects that you're working on? You're notorious about staying in the studio.

MAAAAN, I'm about to drop an album with LNS Producer H+ titled: Chips 'n Salsa, The Side Order sometime in June. Me & JayWeezy of The LOEGZ are working on something SERIOUS (still looking for producers!!!)..... all while wrapping up the project I started with Heartbeatz & Dj Burn One annnnnnnd DIE SLO is about 50% done with the group project..... just keeping myself busy yo that's the most important thing.

You can follow Sertified at twitter.com/sertified and instagram.com/sertified.

[New Interviews] Chamothy The Great || Soulfresca || Capn Kirk

Chamothy The Great

A lot of people recognize you from your association with Die Slo but might not know you're also a dope solo artist. What do you think are the positives and negative aspects of being in a group when trying to also show the world that you can musically stand by yourself?

The positive is that I have a whole squad who supports whatever I do and helps in whatever way possible. We've built this brand name up over the years and it helps give anything I do an extra push. Otherwise people are still like "What the fuck is a Chamothy?" On the negative side, I have to do a little more to stand out. Otherwise I'm just "that cat from Die Slo," when in reality I made the beat, had something to do with the hook, recorded the song, mixed it etc. But that's what being part of a group is about, you gotta be able to put that ego aside. It takes a lot of parts to make this big machine work and keep it running so if one person isn't doing their part, we all feel it. My solo work is where I get to flex and let my ego out and have things exactly how I want when I want, on some my way or the highway type shit.

You've seen a lot of Austin rappers come up over the years. When did you first meet the guys in Die Slo? What are some of your first memories of seeing other hiphop acts that came out of Austin as well?

I met the homies in the squad through my homie Big K. He was cool with J-dub and J-dub had a Group with Mex and Sertified. After havin a few sessions with them we just clicked and JD was like "You should meet my homie Stat" who was a part of a group called THC. After makin a few tracks together everything else just started falling into place. Some of my greatest memories come from thuggin with the squad at Ruta Maya's. This is where I first saw acts who had already been doing things like COD, The Kriminals, Lil Sicc, etc. These were some of the first events where I saw artist performing a show and not just rapping in one spot.



When did you first get into making beats and rapping? What was the equipment you were using? What do you use now?

I've been making music forever since waaay back when I was in band playing the fuckin baritone because the drum section was full. The fuckin baritone bruh ... I had always liked writing songs and rappin and shit but I just never openly did it. When I got to high school Chamillionaire and Paul Wall was boomin at the time! That opened me up to the whole underground Htown sound and even Dallas had DSR and what not. We'd be in the locker room or at the back of the bus on the way to games just jammin instrumentals and trying to freestyle on some 99 "I done came down" type shit. I had joined choir around this time, then I got kicked out of athletics because I was always failing something. Since I wasn't on sports any more, I figured out I was good at choir. REALLY Good. My teacher convinced me to sign up for some music theory classes. I learned how to write sheet music before I ever had a computer. Then my Junior year, Moms got me a computer and shortly after a homie put me on FL. Thats what I used all the way up to last year when my computer went out. Now I'm on Logic and have no complaints.

Any new songs or projects you're trying to promote? What are you cooking up to drop next?

Definitely, I'm always working on something. Right now I have 2 singles out, MT4T's and E.D.M. (Early Dis Mornin), both of which are going to be on my "Dead Petals EP" coming out in a few weeks. It was originally intended as a free project I was doing to drive sales on "The Late Bloomer" since niggas are still sleepin on that but it took on a life of its own. I consider it the perfect mix of riding music and the whole 808/Trap/TurnUp sound goin around. Bottom line "Dead Petals" is shit people wanna hear. "The Late Bloomer" is shit people need to hear.

You can follow Chamothy The Great at twitter.com/iamchamothy and instagram.com/iamchamothy.

Soulfresca

So how did the group Soulfresca form?

Mayo: We went to middle school together, parted ways. Linked up several years down the road.

Steelo Foreign: Real recognize real. Max Lo layed the foundation, Mayo and I built the house. Bada boom bada bing.

Mayo: It's rare to find this type of chemistry so we took it and ran with it. Destiny. Lucy helped a little as well. We met Trey in middle school too. I created a group with Trey before Steelo and I created Soulfresca, called Capitol Outcast. We were serious but had no idea what we were doing. But we stuck with it.

Steelo Foreign: Then next thing you know we were workin on the "Upper Room" EP. We were just creating music for the city, 4 sessions at Launchpad and next thing you know we had an EP. It was just good to hit the ground runnin with your friends and just pretty much winging it. Whatever felt right at the time, we did it. Like Mayo, he's one of those people that I work with almost every day.

How would you describe your sound?

Mayo & Steelo: Good vibes. Good intentions. Good quality. Psychedelic freedom and Rick Rubin.

 
Your last EP was all produced by Max Lo. How did you link up with him?

Mayo: Max Lo is my uncle. He helped me out with a lot of confusion and was always there to put a smile on my face and a beer in my hand. I'm a writer, so having dope beats given to me by a seasoned producer like Max was a blessing. But he moved to Long Beach, and now Steelo produces Soulfresca's beats.

Steelo foreign: Yeah, Max is the unc for sure! I used to live with him for a bit before I started to produce and I'd wake up to him chopping a sample, dude would have like 5 beats done before breakfast. He definitely inspired me to start producing, and now that's what I do with the majority of my time. We may have some surprises real soon with some Maxlo production, y'all Just gotta stay tuned in.

Who have you been jamming recently? What's some of your favorite Texas music?

Steelo foreign: Personally I jam R&B as much as possible. Definitely my biggest influence production wise. It doesn't get much better then 90's R&B, and my appreciation for Texas music is still in the 90's, like Z-Ro, Paul Wall & Chamillionaire, DJ Screw, and maybe somebody like Devin the Dude, can be found being played around the house on a Monday or Tuesday, that's just how you get your mind right for the rest of the week. As for an artist that's modern day, JCole is a good one, he's one of those guys that I look to for his production more then his rapping. Just a solid musician to learn from.

Mayo: Recently? A lot of Queen, Sublime, Bob Marley, Daft Punk, Ghostland, Ritchie Havens, Gorillaz... I've been listening to hip hop since I was a toddler so it's been nice to venture off and listen to genres that spark new thoughts and emotions. The only Texas music on my iPod right now is all local Atx hip hop. There's great folks out here making solid music that deserves to be heard by the masses and I couldn't be more proud! It's happening!

You can follow SoulFresca at twitter.com/steeloforeign and twitter.com/cmayomusic.

Capn Kirk

Today people know you as one of the vocalists for some of Austin's buzzing new acts like Sip Sip and Subkulture Patriots. How did you get your start in music and how did you become involved with these groups?
First off, I just wanna thank all my friends, family and fans because without their support, none of this would have been possible. Growing up, my father was a professional musician. He played with groups like Timbuk 3 and the Killer Bees. And my mom always sang in the church choir so music has been a big part of my life. I never had the patience to take the time it takes to master an instrument but I like talking shit so I started rapping. And I guess you could say music runs in my blood. SKP (SubKulture Patriots) came around from a like minded approach to hip hop shared by myself, RuDi DeVino, HBZ and the Brain. We were fortunate enough to do some cool things I think in large part because we aren't the stereotypical Texas crew. And the throwback sound of Ruler Why was refreshing or nostalgic I think to some heads ears. Since forming in 2010 we have added DJ Aspekt and Austin vet DOS. So I'm really excited about what the future holds for us. Sip Sip was started by my brother AJ and some of his high school friends. So I basically just forced my way into the group using the big brother card about a year ago. I think they appreciate me now though hahaha. But really they started it originally with the intention of being a hip hop backing band. And at one point in time we flirted with the idea of SipKulture Patriots but it was just too many people. I managed to stick around and have been blessed and inspired to be able to work with some of Austin's finest musicians. It's really incredible. You can check Sip Sip out at Lamberts on May 30th. #shamelesspromotion

Your mixtape with fellow Austinite Click Clack effectively marks your solo debut.  How would you describe that EP as far as stylewise and how it came together?

I'm so confused by the term "Mix Tape" haha but that's another discussion. But on the FMBO e'klektik project the first thing you notice is the beats are futuristic. I was there when they were being created and so I just channeled the energy they gave me. To me they said "grab a chick, roll up, pour up, turn the music up and ride," so that's what I tried to convey with the lyrics. I called it e'klektik because the style of my delivery is derived from several styles if you will. I did what people in the city and around the country know me for on tracks like "Grind" and "mAKe" as well as what people who hang out with me know me for like "BBO," "Dead Brain" and "Stupid Fly". As far as the concept, I just thought it would be funny to make like a mixed breed wave. Its kind of a joke because I think everyone is a "mixed breed". But some people take that shit so seriously. Me and Click Clack are both mutts so it made sense to outsiders I guess. If you haven't checked it out yet. Get fucked up and go to www.fmbomusic.com!




A lot of locals in the city know you rep 78723. What are your thoughts on the recent changes in the area and the overall gentrification of East Austin as the town grows in stature and value? 

I love the 23. Three fourths of my immediate family members still live there including myself. It was a great place to grow up in Austin because of the cultural diversity. There were black, Latino and white families who all called each other neighbors. Change is hard; on one hand, you want to see your property increase in value and your neighborhood to create revenue. But it is tough when the reality of that means some people aren't going to be able to afford their homes and are forced to leave a place they lived for 20 plus years. When it starts to lose its diversity due to the relocation of its original inhabitants then it loses some of what made it such a notoriously great place to live. When some out of towner builds a million dollar house next door to yours and the hipsters start pouring out the wood works like fucking white walkers, sometimes you wanna swerve on a biker. But all in all, like everything there is an upside and a downside. I will say though, not fearing a plane is gonna land on your home is nice.

Who were some of your favorite artists coming up? Who were some of the emcees who influenced your style?

Coming up I listened to ALOT of different types of music. I loved Bob Marley, DJ Screw (SUC), Nirvana, OutKast, Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Pac, Rage Against the Machine, Beethoven, The Wu Tang Clan, Bach, Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre. I think I was most heavily influenced by Zach De La Rocha, Ghost Face Killah, Biggie, DJ Screw and SUC.

You can follow Capn Kirk at twitter.com/23_CapnKirk and instagram.com/therealcapnkirk.