While jumping around the blogosphere a few days ago I stumbled upon an intriguing looking video which upon discovery could easily be mistaken for a movie trailer. I saw no famous names listed but decided to press play since my curiosity compelled me to do so. What ensued from that point on drew my full attention for just over 5 min, the length of this short film entitled “The Raven”.
The project was directed and co-written by one Ricardo de Montreuil. The story while brief, is an impressive display of special effects surrounding the pursuit of an assumed fugitive known as “The Raven”. Said chase keeps a close eye on the vigilante who bares some mysterious special power which the audience will not come to fully understand in such a short stint of action (at best guest he has an ability which involves a mastered control of metallic objects such as Magneto of X-Men fame). The character, who’s government name in the film is Chris Black, seems to deliver the impression that he is in fact innocent of whatever violation of the law he’s being hunted down for, albeit the viewers know not how or why his current disposition with the law came to be.
The cast is a short list of individuals with Victor Lopez headlining as “The Raven”. Antonio Perez plays the annoyed driver, a credit he takes along with co-writing the movie with de Montreuil. The score is climactic and keeps the action flowing on the right pace that leads up to the final scenes dilemma. All the elements combined add up to a captivating and suspenseful project that has and underlying theme of totalitarianism and the possible future of law enforcement, arresting society’s human rights. This relatively small scale project which was shot on a budget of just $5000. It will be interesting to see if the attention it is currently amassing will lead to a larger scale/full length, major studio type of production.
If haven’t heard of ArtOfficial yet, here’s your chance to be introduced to a refreshing fusion of musical genres panning from jazz to rock to hip-hop. With the recent passing of hip-hop jazz pioneer Guru, it’s a sad but appropriate time to re-entertain this crossover style of music. Artists such as these are becoming more relevant in the grand scheme that projects the direction of popular music, i.e bands like The Black Keys and 2AM Club.
Brought to you by a strong lineup of websites, including djbooth.net, illroots.com, refinedhype.com and kevinnottingham.com, The Payback is like a collection of dope tracks you hear in the movies but that actually have equally engaging lyrics to match. Those lyrics are brought to you by the groups emcees Newsense and Logics who along with their bandmates put their own spin on some well known instrumentals ranging from The Beatles catalog, to Jay-Z’s later work and Eric B. & Rakim material.
Guest appearances include Wrekonize, K. sparks, Jesse Jackson, QuEST and Swamburger (Solillaquists of Sound) among others. The street album as a whole is an enjoyable and quality filled production with 12 tracks in all. The download also includes the wallpaper version of the album cover which is a pretty sick graphic interpretation of ArtOfficial’s sound.
Brought to you by the team over at By Any Means T.V. who’ve previously delivered videos and trailers from Fabolous, The Clipse and Jim Jones among others, “I’m Raw” is in fact a raw and fresh visual. This is the second full cut that’s been given a music video off of There Is No Competition Vol.2, the first of which was “Body Ya”. Fab portrays a butcher in the video’s storyline while in the meantime real life OdaButcher can be seen playing the piano. Aristotle provides what plays out as an appealing concept and manages to make all the falling bodies not look corny. The campaign seems to be really creating a strong buzz as did the mixtape itself. Hopefully Fab and the crew from BAM TV will be serving up some more videos in the near future.
G.O.O.D Music veteran Consequence just dropped this video earlier in the week, providing your eyeballs with a visual for the cut “Childish Games”, a number produced by Mr. Attic. The song features a major contender for best up and coming white MC, Asher Roth. Cons, a native of Queens, NY spits truth as he refreshes the listeners as to a high caliber of maturity not just figuratively but in respect to his music as well. Asher chimes in on the final verse, highlighting the characteristics of a young and unseasoned mind and the traps one might slip through with that mentality. This is a dope track with a strong underground feel, which goes along with its director, acclaimed independent music video mastermind Rik Cordero. Enjoy the video and look forward to more from Consequence’s mixtape Movies On Demand, which is out now.
Taking the stage at Slippery Rock University in PA, Drake gives the first taste of a new album cut titled “Fireworks”. Although the album was pushed back from its original May 25th release date, Thank Me Later will only have to wait about another 3 weeks (June 15th) to make noise on the Sound Scan. Interestingly enough the footage was released the day the announcement was made about the change in release date. Could it be that the label has a marketing ploy at play? No, of course not. What would possibly give anyone that crazy idea? Regardless, catching an earful of this new track from Drizzy will only further build your anticipation for the Toronto artist’s debut LP. ”Fireworks” is slated to be the opening song on the forthcoming album and is produced by Crada and Noah “40″ Shebib.
One half of The Neptunes and founder of BBC clothing, super producer Pharrell Williams celebrated his 37th born day on Monday. As part of the festivities those close to Pharrell sprung for an intricately detailed Alice In Wonderland themed birthday cake. This cake inspired by the recent Tim Burton film was the center piece of a full-fledged surprise party thrown for Skateboard P by his friends and family. Surely hours of labor went into the edible work of art, making it almost seem like a crime to cut the cake. The party was held on the beach and included some of the characters from the movie, such as “The Mad Hatter”, “The Red Queen” and of course “Alice”. DJ Jus Ske held down the turntables as he spun the soundtrack to Pharrell’s 37th b-day in Miami. All in all it looked like a slice of the good life. More flicks coming up after the jump.
What has a bed, an LCD TV, WiFi, electric outlets and can be rented for a minimum of 15 minutes? The high tech traveler friendly answer to such a riddle is a revolutionary contraption entitled “Sleep Box”. From the minds of the Arch Group, a Russian team of architects, “Sleep Box” has the potential to severely alter the stressful airport experience that is commonplace in today’s society.
Whether it be for business or pleasure, getting to and from one’s destination can be a major hassle in the age of the orange alert. Customs makes you ditch liquids over 3 oz. no matter how much of a necessity they may be and it seems flights are more often delayed than on schedule. Knowing damn well those waiting area seats are not the most comfortable place to kick back prior to take-off it’s about time there was a better option.
Although it will cost you, the “Sleep Box” provides a tranquil and hassle free setting to unwind before, between and even after flights. Picture getting your own private space to get some work done in peace or recharge your battery and the batteries of all your gadgets simultaneously (without having to worry about someone running off with your stuff if you nod off). Aside from those benefits the box gives sound alerts at your request, adequate ventilation and an automatic linen changing system. A normal set of bed linen is available for purchase for the traveler that seeks a little extra comfort. An electric key is presented upon payment for a range of 15 minutes to several hours of quiet time. I can’t wait to see this creation in airports across the country.
Dope Boy C sits down with IAMASHLEYOUTRAGEOUS.Com and unlocks some of the answers to questions surrounding the Brooklyn MC about his style on and off the mic. His self proclaimed “arrogant rapper mentality” has built up his braggadocious persona to a high level of credibility in many industry circles.
In the interview he touches on how he came up with his rap moniker as well as what types of beats he likes to spit to. CurT@!n$ goes as far as to throw a few big names out there who he’d like to trade bars with and also talks about what mold he fits into as a Hip-Hop artist. Last but not least, hear what the man who Yeezy called a fashion genius has lined up for his future in the game.
Aside from writing here and for the number 1 Hip-Hop publication in the world, The Source Magazine, you can expect this moniker to become a household Internet name within the next few years. Follow Kidd Future.
Kidd Future Online
Aside from writing here and for the number 1 Hip-Hop publication in the world, The Source Magazine, you can expect this moniker to become a household Internet name within the next few years. Follow Kidd Future.