Listen: A-Plus - "Think Tank" Album

For nearly two decades, A-Plus has been honing his skills as producer, artist, and businessman as a founding member of Hieroglyphics and Souls Of Mischief. He and AAGEE joined forces as production team Compound 7 to earn production credits on albums such as A-Plus’ My Last Good Deed and Casual‘s Smash Rockwell LP. Their concept album, Pepper Spray, which features fellow Hiero member, Del The Funky Homosapien, reimagined some of the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ most epic tracks.

Think Tank is a carefully curated body of work, serving as a return to familiar form after A-Plus ventured into the experimental world of electronic music with the release of Molly’s Dirty Water just last month. (via Hiero) Check it out and support of one hip hops most slept on producers.

Fine Art Friday: Oldřich Kulhánek

Oldřich Kulhánek is a Czech painter, graphic designer, illustrator, stage designer and pedagogue who passed away last January, which ended the life of a very active artist and wildly creative persona. In 1971 he was arrested by the Secret Police and imprisoned for "defamation of the allied socialist states" for his artwork critiquing political life, particularly his distorted portrait of Stalin was among his work that was considered ideologically dangerous. As a nod to his heavily detailed drawing style, Kulhánek also created the design for the current Czech banknotes and postage stamps with many indicators of his ornate drawing style which serves as an extension of his figurative drawing and print work which features a thorough understanding of anatomy and texture. Check it out and see the skills of a legend in the graphics world, from the lesser known region of the Czech art world.

ARTIST WEBSITE
http://www.oldrichkulhanek.cz/index.php?section=opraci&lang=en

Video: Dag Savage - "Old Time's Sake"

Dag Savage (Exile and Johaz) just dropped the most recent video "For Old Times Sake" track from the "E&J" collaborative project. Johaz voice always stands out to me as a more refined Planet Asia, and his honest lyrics help him stand apart from many other comparisons. Good track, good people and a good project for the jazzy, hip hop, mellowed out crowd.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/e-j/id815397010

Video: Oddisee - "Caprice Down"

To help promote his instrumental projects from late last year, Oddisee has linked with some visionary directors to illustrate the vibe of his track "Caprice Down" from his "The Beauty in All" and "Tangible Dream" projects. Letting the sounds from the video bleed in and out of the background helps the track feel like the perfect backdrop for the skateboard crew bouncing around the sunny landscapes. Check it out and support the quality music from Mello Music Group.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-beauty-in-all/id687786079

Video: C-Rayz Walz + John Robinson + L.I.F.E. Long + Jasiri X - "Stimuli"

Underground wordsmith veterans L.I.F.E. Long, C-Rayz Walz, John Robinson and Jasiri X recently linked with producer Kentron The Mastodon for the track "STIMULI (I'm Ready!)" off the "ALMIGHTY: The Solar Facts" album. Knowledge and power has always been an important topic for these emcees and they split the duties by sharing their concerns for the world and encouraging the masses to empower themselves.

DOWNLOAD LINK
https://soundcloud.com/c-rayz-walz/sets/almighty-the-solar-facts

Video: Word Of Rakim - Short Film

WORDS BY RAKIM from Matt Bieler on Vimeo.

WORDS BY RAKIM, a film by Matt Bieler and Serial Pictures, serves as a visually stunning, honest, creative ode and re-introduction, to Rakim (of Eric B and Rakim), who is recognized as hip-hop’s most influential MC. The format of the film is inspired by the vinyl records that birthed the hip hop art form, so the film is a portrait of two sides of an artist (Sides A and B) and the streets and city he inspired and vice versa. If only more filmmakers would help honor the founding fathers of hip hop in a similar way, perhaps generation now and in the future will get a better sense of the powerful history of the art form.

FILM WEBSITE
https://vimeo.com/85959378

Watch: 12 O'Clock Boys - Film

Twelve O’Clock Boys documents a notorious urban dirt bike pack in Baltimore and the ups and downs of their lives on and off road. Billed as "The Wire with Wheelies", the film documents the phenomenon of packs of young boys and men who pride themselves on causing havoc in the streets while riding in packs 100 strong through neighborhoods of urban Baltimore, creating a new improvisational urban sport that has become legendary in the city. Their charismatic riding style is quickly spreading throughout the East Coast and seems as out-of-place in the city as the horse riding stables of inner-city North Philadelphia but equally fascinating as they carry a confident swagger to contrast with often hopeless lives. They disregard traffic laws, roadblocks, and the police, who are forbidden to chase the bikes for fear of endangering the public, and build up tension and drama with every new adventure.