Chesapeake’s own Trixx AKA DaManWit2Xs presents Preservin My Greatness₂, a raw and uncut perspective of Hip-Hop in the 757. This project intermixes trap, classic Hip-Hop, and clever one-liners that together create a gutter masterpiece that showcases one of the many facets of the broad spectrum that is Hip-Hop.  After listening several times, I came up with the following questions about the artist and the project:

BEE: I listen to the album and get a dirty south trap feel but also an up top NYC vibe. Does this show your range as a 757 native/artist or were you targeting a specific audience?

TRIXX: Yeah, I was trying to show my versatility over different type of beats. If somebody hear you on a south beat, some may try to criticize and say you don't have any real bars. If they hear you on a East coast/North type beat, they might say you old school.. So I just tried to give the listener a bit of both so they can judge me as an artist "fairly" so to speak.

BEE: This project is raw, gutter, & straight to the point sprinkled in with one-liners and intelligent thoughts. What effect did you want to leave when making this mixtape?

TRIXX: I want the listener to be able to say Trixx aka DaManWit2Xs can really rap and is pretty damn good at it. I want to hear more from him! That's what I want.

BEE: -All of the featured artists are dope. What did you want to share about them and how they got on this fire project?

TRIXX: The "feature" process for this project, wow..*laughs*.. A couple of the artists who are on the project weren't initially going to be on it. I had other artist in mind but they weren't able to be a part of it for whatever reasons they had. No love lost though, it's all good.Things don't always work out the way you planned. I will say that Jay Pharoah, SNL cast member and childhood friend, was most eager to be apart of it. S/o to all the featured artists though, Jay Pharoah, Peat, J-Holmes, 3500, Black K,& G-Cryss, the project ended up coming out quite nice!!
BEE: Describe your style in your own words.

TRIXX: My style in my own words? Hmm.. Let's see.. IDK? DOPE, I guess!!

 
BEE: "Chalupa" is different; no bridge. It was very creative how the hook and the verses were structured the same. You said you got A's in English and your word play proves that. Did you do that on purpose?

TRIXX: You're right. "Chalupa" is kinda different, some may say I could have done without it.. It was actually one of the last tracks I wrote for the mixtape. A hook at the beginning and end with a long verse in between them. The rhyme scheme was difficult, but I managed. Yes, I meant to do it that way. *laughs*
BEE: Can you give a little background info on "Molly" & "EPMD"?

TRIXX: The beat to "Molly" is an instrumental from producer Metro Boomin'. Originally I didn't know how the hook was going to go until I was super high late night one day,  freestyling some words to it and was like.. Oh shit, that sounds aight! Started writing my verse and I needed a bar to rhyme with Sade and the only thing I could think of was Wale. *laughs*. Ended up getting my boy G-Cryss on the track and he ran through it.. Hold ya head man! He was locked up a few weeks later.. damn smh.. I did the EPMD track for people who like to hear bars, plus its a classic hip hop beat from the group EPMD, "Please Listen To My Demo" is the name of the original song. I just wanted to give my audience quality lyrics with some thought provoking ideas as well.. "What amazes me? Is the things I see all on Twitter and on TV, sometimes evil lies in things we seek, just gotta be careful and watch what creeps.." 
BEE: What are your favorite tracks and why?

TRIXX: My favortie tracks are "Other"(outro), "Molly", and "So Good".. I like "Other" because of the feeling it gives me. Give me a feeling of inspiration or motivation, just an overall good feeling. "Molly" is my shit, because I can turn up and go dumb to it. I get the most praise for that specific track. Last, but not least is "So Good". I like the content of the song and most importantly I love Black K verse! Dude really wrote some fire. He dropped some gems up there!!

 Check out Trixx and his music at the links below:

Twitter / IG / Facebook : DaManWit2Xs

Music Links:

www.soundcloud.com/DaManWit2Xs

www.reverbnation.com/DaManWit2Xs

www.datpiff.com/1trixx1

  

B.

Yung Riq- Angels in My Demons

   

      

11 tracks perfectly organized from an 18 year old Norfolk lyricist that is way ahead of his time.                                                 

Intro

“This the moment you been waiting for, I’m back in my zone.”

As I’m listening in anticipation, the beat comes in a little slow and dramatic equipped with the claps to set the tone and rev up my anticipation, and then Yung Riq picks up right where he left off; those lyrics with the potent punch lines that are dope, appropriate, & intelligent separating him from other artists. This intro isn’t dissing or “hating”,Yung Riq is just saying what hip-hop heads have been thinking all along about the status quo of “hip-hop…” listen for yourself:
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/intro-prod-by-rich-e-rich-1

I love the homage to Missy of course.

Momma

“You can’t relate to your momma having to be your dad”

Short, sweet, and to the point.  This track epitomizes storytelling in Hip-Hop in less than three minutes! This is no “putting-Momma-on-a-mink-in-a-house-on-the-hill” track, this is raw and real and a story that most young artists are afraid to tell.  Listen for the subtle but deep connection of how a Mother/Child relationship can shape one’s character as adults.  Very reminiscent of Pac and Jay Z with this one, and it tugged at my soul as a Momma.  Then Yung Riq comes right in with Fatherless (segue perfection) and continues to stir up emotion.
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/momma-prod-by-dreadfull-1

Fatherless

“This is for you if your pops is serving a sentence, or your whole life he been missing. Or maybe he was only there for the beginning; this for the Fatherless, I know just how you feelin. This is for you if your father was never there, maybe that nigga died, maybe he didn’t care…”

This track needs no critique, it speaks for itself.  Classic Hip-Hop. The piano and the singing add to its authenticity.  Another story that most artists would be scared to tell and arguably the best song on this project. 
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/fatherless-prod-by-rich-e

Crown (Feat. Amir Driver)

“My allegiance never switchin’, with my niggas til the ending, It’s just me and Murda Malc, we like the new Jordan and Pippen nigga…”

Two of the best rappers in the area team up on this gutter track that needs no critique. This is the one to bump in the streets of the 757.
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/crown-feat-amir-driver-prod

It’s Nothin (Feat. Ant Mose) and Red Light Music Pt. 1 are classic sexually charged songs by Yung Riq like Break It Down (2012).
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/its-nothin-feat-ant-mose-prod
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/red-light-music-pt-1-prod-by-1

Rounds Pt. 1, 2, 3 are lyrically charged snippets that show off Yung Riq’s skills.

Three Minutes ‘Til 8 (Feat. Amir Driver)

“Niggas act like they bitch do, talk more than they bitch do, bitch more than they bitch do, and they probably bleed like they bitch too nigga!” Amir Driver

“Bitch I’m from the 757 where they all got weapons, my section harder than what all y’all reppin…” Yung Riq

Another gutter one!
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/three-minutes-til-8-feat

BAM (Bonus Track)
https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/bam-bonus-track-prod-by-marc

In closing, this project has shown that although Yung Riq has progressed lyrically as an artist through various life experiences, he still remains true to Hip-Hop and himself by never deviating from the essence of storytelling and never following the current path of rap music.

 “The flow is like slow kids, in a class of its own”

To listen to the complete album click here: https://soundcloud.com/yung-riq-1/sets/angels-in-my-demons-full-album-1

Yeezus: Album Analysis

Yeezus: Album Analysis

I am a true Kanye fan, so when his album was set to release I was anticipating a sequel to Watch the Throne or at least some of the old Kanye from College Dropout & Late Registration. If you’re looking for a quintessential Hip-Hop album, this isn’t it.  This album is more of a sequel to 808s & Heartbreaks with a little My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy mixed in.  As a matter of fact, most of the album could have been on MBDTF. This is not a bad thing; however, I think I can safely speak for us all when I say that we’ve had enough of him whining about previous relationships.  Good thing he’s great at creating music and storytelling, which probably keeps his real fans hanging on until he comes back with a classic Kanye/Hip-Hop album, which we all know he can do. NonDescript, one half of local producing duo JM Productions, said “I feel like if Kanye wanted to he could make a classic Hip-Hop album. I hate all this extra crap he does. Until he returns to real rap I’m not messing with him. He’s corny to me at this point”.  Some may agree. Here are my thoughts of the album in a track by track breakdown:

1.  On Sight- “…and I know she like chocolate men, got more niggas off than Cochran…”

With every song on the album the production is abstract and dark. On Sight comes in with a funky synthesized type beat with raw lyrics and West’s infamous sampling.  Kanye has always been a clever words man with a touch of dry humor and it’s apparent in a few of the lines. “…chopped ‘em both down, don’t judge him Joe Brown!”

2.  Black Skinhead- “Stop all that coon shit..early morning cartoon shit...”

Very powerful cadence type beat that is fitting to the title.  For some reason Kanye decided to experiment with screaming on this album which kind of scares me... but nonetheless I thought this was a classic Kanye song; a message over a sick beat with tons of angst.  I like the “God” chants at the end that segue into the next track I Am A God. Awesome.

3.  I Am A God-“the only rapper compared to Michael…”

Again, very dark production with screaming that almost makes the track sound demonic.  But if you can get past that, there are some great bars in this song that mesh well with the beat.  I totally get that Kanye is depicting himself being chased but it really takes away from the awesome music, and I wish he would have extended the portion without his vocals.  I want more of the music! Great song even with those few irritants.  The ending line “Ain’t no way I’m giving up on my God” is very haunting but potent. I like the reggae element as well.

4.  New Slaves- “I know that we the new slaves, I see the blood on the leaves”  

When I saw this title I was looking for another message to the black youth as portrayed in Murder to Excellence (Watch The Throne), and Kanye managed to impress me.  Of course he’s bringing on the anger making valid points about how the black culture is still plagued with the materialistic state of mind. Not only does he get the point across, he uses satire to mock himself. …”y’all throwin contracts at me,you  know that niggas can’t read! [throw em some Maybach keys] fuck it, C’est la vie!”  That’s the typical attitude of young Hip-Hop that’s more concerned about the material things more than the fine print; metaphorically speaking and literally.

5.  Hold My Liquor-“…5 years we been over…ask me why I came over…one mo’ hit and I can own ‘ya…”

If you don’t want to hear Kanye relive another encounter with an infamous ex then skip this one, HOWEVER, if you like the occasional chopped screwed auto tuned slooooow sizzurp track with a dash of guitar riffs, then you have that blended together perfectly, which makes for an awesome track. You’d probably want to vibe to this one when you’re alone in chill mode. (not mad at Chief Keef)

6.  I’m In It-“careless whispers…eye fuckin…biting ass”

Definitely the raunchiest track on the album, I feel like he was channeling Plies but if vulgar content doesn’t offend you, then try to absorb the beat…actually he switches the beat a few times, bringing the reggae component back in. Very dramatic and Kanye-esque but he didn’t overcomplicate it. More screaming. *sigh* but I love this one. It’s downright dirty and it’s not a bad thing to rock to such songs occasionally.

7.  Blood On the Leaves- “…now you sittin’ courtside wifey on the other side, gotta keep ‘em separated I call that apartheid…”

I can only assume the Billie Holiday sample Strange Fruit was supposed to bring symbolism to this rant to sideline chicks, meaning that there are some women who plot and scheme to literally “hang niggas” for the sake of their own foolish and selfish agendas.  Fail.  Knowing the background of the song, I was shocked by the theme in which he chose to write. The production was flawless and I find myself quoting the samples more than the verses because the content has no substance when you place it over such an emotional track.  I’m over the angry-toward-bitches songs.  I feel he’s evolving with production but not content. I love the music but not too fond of the lyrics, I just wish he would have went with a different approach for the topic. I must give him props for "taking it back to the 'Nolia" and inserting the C-Murder beat from the classic song Down 4 My Niggas.  Dope. Great track nevertheless, and probably one if not the best on the album.

8.  Guilt Trip-“I hit her with Jamaican dick, I’m the new ‘Shabba!’”

Another 808’s inspired synthesized sounding track that throws us back into the tales of the exes again while adding a taste of reggae. I am also a Kid Cudi fan and his last few guest appearances on Kanye’s albums have been singing.  And wouldn’t you know? He’s singing on this one as well. It’s appropriate for the song, but this is one I’d skip unless I’m on a road trip and the album is playing. 

9.  Send It Up- “memories don’t live like people do…”

The reggae aspect was not an unwelcome guest on this album.  I thought it added little pieces of Hip-Hop that were generally lacking.   This was a semi complicated beat but it worked.

  10. Bound 2- “…one good girl is worth a 1000 bitches…”

This is probably the one track on the album that is truly Hip-Hop.  He almost ruined it with the woman talk but the samples and Charlie Wilson saved it and it’s a classic Kanye record in my opinion.

 

In summation, Yeezus is epic work from Kanye. Out of the seven albums, I rank it #5 and give it 4 out of 5 stars. Fellow music eclectic & Kanye fan  Greg Watson said “…Hip-Hop heads with no imagination hate it..but those people don’t actually like music just rap that they can directly relate to.”

 

If you heard Yeezus, what do YOU think? Comment below.

                                        

 

Clever: 6 letters there's none better!

 

 

Typically when I get excited about an unsigned artist I tend to compare them to an established artist so that there's a sense of familiarity.  In the case with Clever, I have been unable to do that.  He's in his own lane. In addition to creating music that has taken a step back from the current status quo of Hip Hop, Clever , like Eturnal of Portsmouth, is an ambitious businessman that understands just recording good music wont cut it; there are additional components to becoming a successful artist. He has his own website, he has shot professional videos, and is the founder of Makin It Happen Ent.  Check out the excerpt below from Clever's personal website http://www.clever757.com/ :

 

     "Clever was big into Hip Hop at the early age of 9. His pops had a huge influence on him, mainly through exposing Clever to his crazy record collection which consisted of artist such as, The Ghetto Boys, Heavy D, ABC, and many of the great oldie but goodie records. His older cousins always had the latest new music, so he stayed current on the latest releases, solely because of his passion for Hip Hop at the time. His mom was a beautiful singer, who dedicated her voice to church; this accounts for Clever’s roots in the gospel and jazz genres at such an early age. Clever often found himself listening to Kenny G or just classical music, which caused him to zone out into deep thought. Not only was it soothing, but Clever testifies that classical music is a good remedy to put him to sleep.
Some of Clever’s influences are Canibus, Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony, Wu-Tang Clan, Tribe Called Quest, Da Brat, Outkast, Biggie, Jay-z, and NAS just to name a few. You can say by being an 80’s baby, during the crack era, Clever was heavily influenced by these artists during the 90’s Hip Hop era."
The musical influences are apparent in his music.  Listen to his Started From the Bottom freestyle:
https://soundcloud.com/clever757/clever-x-started-from-da
More music by Clever:
http://www.soundcloud.com/clever757
For more information about Clever & Makin It Happen Ent.:
http://instagram.com/m_i_h_ent
http://www.twitter.com/makinithappen_
 http://www.twitter.com/clever757

 

Eturnal The Portsmouth Prophet

Please check out my ep which drops Feb 1st! The "Bad Seed" Datpiff.com upload your mixtape to 20+ websites like datpiff.com HotNewHipHop.com, Coast2CoastMixtapes.com, And check out exclusive performance and behind the scenes studio footage at YouTube.com/Eturnal757 thanks for the love soundsoftheseven.blog.com

 

 

...and much love back.  Many thanks to Eturnal, the poet of Portsmouth for taking the time out to answer the following questions:

 

Bee: Explain War Report Ent. Is this a movement? business? Crew? Break it down.

 

Eturnal:War report entertainment was a independent record label I started with some childhood friends back in 1998. Growing up I looked up to the likes of Def Jam and Russell Simmons, Dame Dash and Jay-Z with the likes of rocafella records. I liked their movement and how they put the music they wanted out without any restraints. I thought independent was the best way to go with help from a major distributor. We didnt really have a crew name just all solo artists.


Bee: Describe your style of music. Do u think it's a representation of Portsmouth, you as an individual, or both? When ppl listen, what should they take away?

 

Eturnal: I've been a student of hip hop since the beginning, so I've studied all the greats. My style is a mixture of the notorious B.I.G. with his storytelling, Nas with his lyricism and jay-z with his hustler mentality to name a few. It's pure hiphop in its rawest form. Saying that I try to incorporate my city at all times. I try not to sugarcoat my upbringing or the city I'm from. I've dealt with alot of pain in my life and hardships, setbacks, financial woes, etc so I just try to keep it real raw. No disrespect to any other artist doing their thing but I've never been a big fan of just talking about money, cars and jewels.

Bee: What are u bringing to the table that the game is missing?

 

Eturnal:Alot of energy, pain and storytelling. Lyricism is what the game is really missing right now. So I'm just trying to do my part and bring it back. Good quality music.


Bee: Explain your stage name.

 

Eturnal:That's a good question, I actually got the name from the bible. Eternal means to live forever or last forever. My lyrics will last forever, timeless. You'll be able to listen to my songs twenty years from now and still relate to them.

Bee: Where do u see yourself in the next 2 years in regards to your music career?

 Eturnal: I see myself in the position that god has set for me. Music is my passion so Whether its rapping, producing or dj-ing, ill be doing something with the music, definitely. Just stay consistent and continue to have that drive and passion for it.

 

 

 

To hear Eturnal's music, check out the links below:

 

www.reverbnation.com/757eturnal

www.Soundcloud.com/warreportent

 

 

JM Productions Part Two

check out Emphatic, 1/2 of JM Production's solo project The Left Side below:

http://jmproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-left-side

 

Also check out NoNDescript, 1/2 of JM Production's solo project Nondescription below:

http://jmproductions.bandcamp.com/album/nondescription

 

other projects from JM Productions:

 

http://jmproductions.bandcamp.com/track/if-you-wanna-touch

http://jmproductions.bandcamp.com/track/new-york-shitty

http://jmproductions.bandcamp.com/album/jmproductions-presents-elevator-hip-hop

 

No Pussy Ass Drums!!!!!! Part One

 

 

On November 10^th of this year I had the pleasure of sitting with JM Productions a.k.a. NoNDescript (Juan) and Emphatic (Mike) the producing geniuses from Newport News to discuss who they are, what they have accomplished and what the future holds. Below are excerpts taken from the interview verbatim from an audio recording.

Bee: How long have you guys been working together?

Juan: “7 years started in 05 officially we were messing around in ’03, 04 bought kinetic with laptop and headphones (terrible) from circuit city for fifty bucks now using fruity loops for free.. bootleg.. getting into Pro tools now.”

Bee: How do u think u guys mesh together?

Juan: “It’s kinda funny cuz I think we bring the same things to the table for real for real for the most part (laughs)

Mike: “Juan is like more of a hip hop encyclopedia: he’ll have more depth into it. I’ll be like ”yo I like this song, I like this album I like this concept” and he’ll be like “well did u know that in 1995 this happened?” he knows the history behind everything. I’m glad he has that end of it so I can do my thing and I know I got him in my corner still.”

They have known each other for 20 years and they make the same points differently and mesh well on a friendship level as well as musically.

Bee: Hip hop in its truest form. What does that mean?

Juan: “hip hop in its truest form means...”

Mike: as Juan is thinking chimes in, “one phrase basically no pussy ass drums”

Juan: “taking it back to the essence, to where it started the foundation of it, nothing too technical not over thought, straight to the point hip hop especially with the production end of it. Just going and digging in the crates finding samples digging for drums and breaks and things like that and the very foundation of which it started it started with 2 turntables looping breaks, break beats its kinda of phrase it comes to pay homage to that whole entire aspect, the 80s 90s era”

Mike: “there’s so much overproduction: people wanna have this formula ohh I gotta do this 16 and the hook just bring it back to just a small loop, chop something up and use that for 2 or 3 measures leave that and just focus on the drums and do something basic u don’t hafta overproduce u don’t hafta have 10 keyboards in the room and two guitars and a piccolo and an oboe.”

I definitely chuckled at that one. Even though we all laughed, that is no joke when it comes to hip hop. So I asked why this is important to artists on the rise.

Juan: “if u understand it, you’ll already have an appreciation for the history of it so its like u gotta know about something if you’re really involved in it, u can’t go into something and not know anything about it: u can’t fly a plane and know nothing about flying a plane. You can’t drive a car, a never take a driving class.  U hafta understand how production and hip hop started, u can’t take that away, you can’t erase it. So it’s like if u respect that aspect of it then it’ll never die: the culture will never die. No matter what changes and progressions it may have.”

Bee: Do u think that rappers can be successful with just sticking to boom bap style hip hop?

Juan; “underground artists still do it.”

Mike: “it matters as to what u think is successful.  My concept of being successful in what we do is working with different artists that maybe we even grew up listening to, making good albums getting placement, getting releases, dj booths getting out your people and artists in different venues, just being heard.”

Juan: “it’s all about the art”

Mike: “we hafta be picky because we are stretched thin and it takes a certain type of person to like what we do. It’s a different type of person that we’re looking for.”

What’s the creative process?

Juan;:“nothing for me (to get juices flowing) I don’t need to be in a certain mood.  I can literally sit down anytime and make beats.  I may be in a certain mood and every beat I make that day may be depressing or very aggressive sounding but my actual ability to make beats is hardly ever altered. Emotion doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

Mike: “it just depends, u may be sitting around the house, hear something on tv, you may hear a sample or a cat brushing up against a wall a certain way, anything that may inspire u to make a beat, get goosebumps, go upstairs and make a beat. If u turn the machine, you’ll make something dope.”

Speak for yourself lol so with all that being said, I wanted to know what the future holds for these two eclectics;

Mike: ‘Take over the world lol but nah we really just want the recognition: originally I think we wanted to kinda be known in our area, but at this point I don’t care about that anymore, it’s about the people we respect respecting what we do. Bunch a dope projects out, Juan interjects “we want the exposure but we want to be respected amongst the people we admire look up to and respect and to work with them is very important. My main goal is to be associated with good music.” Mike: “I don’t wanna be doing the same thing I was doing 2 years ago this year we’ve been doing different things like doing showcases and getting out on the scene and being open to different things. Every year we want to progressively do something diff and get better at what we do.”