Brian Caufield aka DJ Spell was murdered this week in LA.
Next month I am going to try to compile some of his music together and maybe work on a tribute depending what some of our close friends are thinking.
Until then...
Please go to DJ SPELL'S MYSPACE PAGE and PLAY BRIAN'S MUSIC AS LOUD AS YOU CAN IN MEMORY OF A GREAT MAN. R.I.P.
PLAY IT LOUD ENOUGH SO THAT HE CAN HEAR IT!
DJ SPELL STARTED DEEJAYING IN 1992. SINCE THEN HE HAS FOUNDED P.O.S, RAILHEADS, AND HAS WORKED WITH MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY. SOME OF HIS CREDIT'S INCLUDE TRACK PLACEMENT ON COACH CARTER, STARING SAMUEL L JACKSON, MEET THE FOCKER'S TRAILER (2004), NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, MR JINX, SCION COMMERCIAL 2007, MANY B MOVIES THAT WERE NOT RELEASED IN AMERICA. ALBUM CREDIT'S- P.O.S- WORLD TRAVEL AGENCY ALBUM, BLAZIE DAY'S, WOZER. SINGLES INCLUDE ARTIST JOE STYLES KING TOKERS KRU, SYNTAX STRANGE, KERNAL KUTTA, UNAPRECIATED SCHOLARS, PENO 1, ETC..... ENGINEERING CREDITS - MOTHER SUPERIOR (PEARL) ALBUM, LIMPOPO. MANY NEW PROJECTS ON THE WAY FOR 2008. CHASM ART GALLERY COMING SOON TO DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
(Editor's Note: As I revisit his Myspace page I am in awe, I had no idea dude had gotten up so much with the graffiti, and had been doing so much music. Brian was incredibly prolific and hardworking, it is going to take A LOT more of these articles for us to truly shed light on the scope of his work. The more time I spend on that Myspace page the more distraught I am over this shit.)
This was Brian Caufield's dream and enterprise. For the last 10 years of his life this was Brian's goal, to turn P.O.S. (Product of Society, Piece of Soul) into a successful clothing line and record label.
It hurts me just to write about this.
Brian made his way from Texas, to Colorado, and then to LA, carrying with him the whole time his dream aka P.O.S.
Along the way he recruited many people into his crew, including DJ Cysko Rokwel, DJ Tense, and his brother MC Dusto.
I'm gonna try to keep putting Brian's artwork out there, from music to visual.
Brian Caufield aka DJ Spell aka Chasm was murdered in LA last week, he will be greatly missed.
Being a generous person, he had the opprutunity to touch many lives and to come in contact with many people.
He was the type of person that always left you with a great story to tell about him, full of life and fun to be around. This is so fucked up.
Here is some of his graffiti that he did, Brian really really loved graffiti. Not just painting, but also going out and viewing the work of others and taking notes and analysis.
I was actually at this show, and saw this whole thing go down, it was really something.
Basically they were opening up for Braille, and asked him if he could do the "Unusual" song with them live on stage.
So Braille goes out to his car, and sits in his car for 30 minutes practicing the song, and memorizes all the lyrics on the spot.
So when you see this video keep in mind that although it looks like these guys have been doing this song on stage for years, they hadn't even REHEARSED it.
We do it all for the love of Colorado Hip Hop, in an effort to add just a little extra support to our Artists, so that they might get a little bit more exposure at the end of the day.
88 Keys is flying out to Colorado for one show only, its not a part of a tour, its for YOU, Colorado. Check it out, a lot of dope local acts on the bill.
Also, make sure you let the box office know, that as part of your admission fee, you expect the local artists to get PAID. It seems like that has been a bit of a problem lately...
If you want us to promote your shows, it helps to GIF em out real nice like this one.
URB Magazine has covered the hip-hop and electronic music scene for close to twenty years.
Each year they've devote an issue to the next 100 artists they believe are going to blow up in the coming year, aptly named URB's Next 100.
But in 2007, they switched the game up and launched URB's Next 1000 and moved it online, basically turning it into a contest of sorts for up and coming artists to get some decent coverage in the magazine.
So now, every week, twenty artists or groups are featured with a bio and a song, and music fans get to vote for the artists they dig the most.
Those with the most votes get featured in the e-zine, get to submit a podcast to URB.com, and are considered for additional coverage in the print version of the magazine.
Anyways, local acts Maneline and The Block Scholars have both informed us that they are in the running right now, and that you can vote for them online, let's go! (no diddy) Click Here to Vote for The Block Scholars
Well if you can guess correctly on the titties, you win a Free CD. The CD is produced by DJ Discord of The Crunk Brothers, aka Taylor Richards (Producer of Pornography Music).
Yes, that's right, DJ Discord of The Crunk Brothers makes Porn Music. Awesome.
In case you didn't know, this brand of down tempo seductive sound, is the product of a lot of Hip Hop skill. The production values and processes that go into it, are pretty much exactly the same as "making a beat". We aren't trying to watch a girl take a slow-mo shower to the instrumental for "Keep Their Heads Ringin" though, so obviously its a little more, laid, back.
See for yourself though, you can purchase the album as well as listen to snippets HERE.
These dudes are hustling hard, Slimdog Millionaire is in your extended network, so maybe you could hit him up for some exposure and/or cross promotional opportunities.
The show right now has 5600 subscribers,1500 feeds a week and over 53,000 feeds for the year.
Also, The Block Scholars are currently working on their debut album, "Weather The Storm".
We will leave it at that for now, and tackle that subject when the album drops.
If you are unfamiliar with their music, we threw in a couple tracks they sent us as a bonus.
BONUS:
The Block Scholars ft. NOBULL "Never Repented"
The Block Scholars "What Ya Gonna Do?"
The Block Scholars send a shout out to all "honorary Block Scholars": Vagabond(South Dakota), Knife Star(Chile), Kenbo(Florida), SIRTAFYDE(Ohio), Sincere(Colorado) & Main Course(Colorado). These cats you will hear on many of their collabs now and in the future.
For those of you unfamiliar with 800 The Jewell, the name says it all. Dude is a diamond in the rough, and a real treasure within the Colorado Hip Hop Community.
He is an MC, Producer, and Business Mastermind, who has quietly helped to build an empire as the Founder of Jewell Tyme Music.
His production is truly unique, and really stand out on its own amidst the rest of the Colorado beatsmiths. His raps some people say sound like 2pac, but they have that strong Jewell Tyme influence that comes from years of cross-pollination within this tight-knit Rap collective.
But enough about that, lets move on to 8Thooven.
800 The Jewel ft. Mississippi Mac "On the Ground"
8Thooven is an 18 song LP everyone should give a listen to, here are some reason why. "On The Ground" is one of a handful of songs on the album which really serves to show and prove to the listener that this dude truly is a great Beat Composer worthy of the name 8Thooven. A perfect combination of Church Organ, Classical Piano, and Orchestral Strings is interweaved throughout this bangin track. Not to be outshined by his own beat work, 800 bangs it up every which way for a good minute straight, before calling on Mississippi Mac to finish it off. Its certified Dope.
"CTI" is one of many songs on this album that remains dope while incorporating tongue in cheek musical references which exhibit 800's grasp on the history of music in its many forms.
On this one he borrows from the Soundtrack to Amadeus, reworking the melody, harmony, and yes even the lyrics and refrain to the theme of the legendary Mozart biopic, in the same way that The Simpsons did with "Dr. Zaius".
It could have came off as a joke, because it is funny, but it was done with such an earnest approach that you will find yourself singing along with the hook while thinking to yourself "man this shit is dope!"
"3 Drinks" is (LOL), actually about smoking weed. Its also THE HIT. It starts off with some wild ass percussion and drums, on some real stripped down shit, and then kicks it up even another notch with some insane staccato piano stabs. The whole time dudes are laying down classic lines that express their love for the weed.
"Still" is probably our favorite song on the album. It drops in out of nowhere after opening with nothing but the drums with an ill testimonial ("First name 8, last name the Jewell!"). This is just a classic anthem, one of those testimonial jams from a real dude/producer/rapper of which there are so few out there doing it.
"8Strumental" is a really special track. Like the "Quik's Groove" series from DJ Quik, who 800 lists as a major influence on his production, this jam is the lone instrumental track on the album, and for good reason, it really speaks for itself without the help of an MC. It's dope that 800 had the wherewithall to select this song to be the standout instrumental track for his album, because it is perfect for just that.
The title track, "8thooven" really ties the concept together. 800 speaks on his respect for Beethoven and why Beethoven is dope, and then gets into his own keyboard, doing what is easily as good as the best piano work on the whole album. This is another one of the best songs on the album.
A couple other tracks to check out are "Alright" (as in this beat makes you feel Alriiiiiight, giggity), and "A Dedication" which features some more top notch percussion work by 800, including some massive conga rollls, and some slick Hi Hats. "A Dedication" also features 800 in what might be his most viscous flow on the album, he is really in the pocket on this one, and unleashes an extra amount of havoc on the mic.
Overall this whole album is just one more classic JTM release, of which we hope to be reviewing many of in the near future. Props.
BONUS:
Press Play.
800 The Jewell ft. F.O.E., Street, and Meezly "3 Drinks"
800 The Jewell ft. B Blacc and Allison Wright "Still"
The Block Scholars are a hardcore Rap outfit hailing from Colorado Springs. For us, they really came out of left field, and we were pleasantly surprised when their music ended up in our in box last week.
So far what we have heard is a wide array of various songs, in various styles, all put together extremely properly.
There is a lot you need to know about these hustle hard motherfuckers (including a dope Podcast they do), So we will be unveiling it over the course of this month, in fragments.
They say we dont cover enough artist here at The Report... So I dug this up. First I gave you GoBOi then Geed UP Now I bless you all with "If I Wasn't Dunk" The Mixtape starring DJ JAM-X and Furiii is a hood classic. You can at times find Furiii around they way in the 303 ans I am told he also a traveling man reppin California and Chicago as well as our home turf.
"Over the past few months, I've featured several artists from my second home state, Colorado. Disktrakt, Whygee, and Kid Hum all have graced the site in the past six months. You can also add Colorado's version of Mick Boogie in the form of DJ Low Key to that list, as he has one large interview on this site (and another the chamber if I ever get the time to finish it). Needless to say, I'm always about supporting anything that comes out of the state when it comes to music. Not because I owe any favors, most of these cats I didn't meet up with until after I moved out of the state. I do it because it's damn good music and it deserves the shine.
The Colorado Rap Report dropped this collection of Colorado hip hop (I swear I thought about this very thing today at work). I haven't had a chance to listen to it, but I'm familiar with a good chunk of the artists that appear on it and all have my personal approval. So give it a whirl, see what that thin air does to lyrics and beats."
"The folks at The Colorado Rap Report just released a collection of hip hop from a bunch of Colorado representatives. I don’t get much exposure to much hip hop from Colorado so this is a nice introduction to some new MC’s for me."
"The good guys at The Colorado Rap Report shot me over this 22 song compilation they just premiered at midnight. I've listened to the whole thing and let me say, DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS. It features some great Hip Hop from one its most obscure (but rising) markets. The group is already working on compiling volume two, so expect even more real soon. Here are a few tracks you can preview in zshare and a link to the full album below it."
"Il y a des états dont on ne parle jamais, comme le Colorado, cet état des rocheuses est connu pour etre la maison du plus grand dessin animé de l'histoire de la télé, South Park (oui, j'ai un parti pris sur ce sujet!), mais quand on parle de rap, il est rarement mis en avant. Pourtant, les emcees sont nombreux et la scène a quelques bonnes choses à offrir et si vous aimez faire des découvertes, voici quelques pistes avec Songs Of The Colorado Rap Report, une compil regroupant quelques une des jeunes plumes montantes du Colorado avec Whygee, Ichiban, Maneline, 3 the Hardway, Sunken State et d'autres. A ne pas manquer!"
"Ok, now I may be done with mixtapes (stress the maybe). New tape from the homies over at The Colorado Rap Report, who put together this nice little comp of CO emcees, including Whygee and Sunken State, 3 the Hardway, 1865, Kid Hum, and others. Colorado's definitely poppin' with hip-hop, and they have some dope shit coming out of there. Enjoy."
"Oh you better believe it, they get it in Colorado!!! DO NOT SLEEP ON THE COLORADO SCENE FOLKS!!! Big ups to The Colorado Rap Report for sendin' this over!"
"The Colorado Rap Report has sent in their free compilation of Colorado’s Hip Hop finest. “Songs of the Colorado Rap Report” is a mix of a bunch of brand new underground music from CO and is a great example of the kind of music they’re releasing these days."
*Part 2 Preview of BMONEYs soon to be released "Funk Tools" battle record
*Guest DJ Brika-A-Brak.....Find out about the newest member of colorado's Turntabalist scene and see why he has already caught the attention of people like WhyGee, Basementalism Radio, and Fast4Ward!
TCRR: Whats your name, what do you do, and where are you from?
OVALIZERIPE: My name is Olivia Perez I program music and sing for a band called Gloam. My solo stuff goes under the name of Ovalizeripe, which spans about 8 years of writing songs. Born and raised in Boulder Colorado.
TCRR: And where do you live now? OVALIZERIPE: Between Boulder and uh-utter chaos. TCRR: Describe your music... OVALIZERIPE: It's what I picture underworld creatures getting down to, maybe there are some Goblins dancing around a bon fire worshipping a blue skinned Goddess prima donna, skeletons playing Xylophone on their ribs and dancing to ruminative beats, specters getting emotional to songs about outerspace, electro-magnetism in alchemy, conjuring Toltec memories... and you know stuff like that
TCRR: You seem to be really into esoteric vocabulary, can you tell us about the name "Ovalizeripe"? OVALIZERIPE: It's an "anagram" for...guess what...I'll give you a clue: It's a first and last name. TCRE: What other name do you go by? Which one is your official recording artist name? OVALIZERIPE: Gloam is the only other name I am associated with right now, but I hope to have many more side projects in the future.
TCRR: How did you get started producing your own music?
OVALIZERIPE: My brother Fletcher (also in Gloam) discovered a program called buzz which is a sequencing program using samples and sound generating machines. I started messing around on buzz when I was about 16 or 17. My brother lived in Germany at the time so it was convenient that we could send the songs back and forth to eachother via email. I don't play any instruments (proficiently that is) so I liked the idea that I could have total control over how all the instruments happened in a way that made sense in my own brain. It all really came out of having no other musicians to play with, and a dire need to make sound. Everything I do is an experiment in the fact that most of the time I have no idea what I'm doing, or what sound is going to come out next. I love using mad mad effects like delays, choruses and crazy distortions.
TCRR: A lot of what you produce might resonate with Hip Hop producers and people who are into Beats... Do you have any Hip Hop influence in your production?
OVALIZERIPE: I love alot of hip hop, the vibe, the rhythms, and the way the words fall in intonation. I'm really impressed with a few different artists...I love Del tha funky homosapien, who I got to see live recently Rahzel is incredible who I also saw live, M.I.A, Cibo Matto, Missy E has some really bad ass production, the beats in Ice Cube's Natural Born Killaz are impeccible....As a ehem... a woman.... my only complaint about main stream hip hop and the reason I don't listen to more is mostly because of the idiotic things that most of them rap about. I know there is TONS of less known and more intelligent hip hop but alas! my repertoire of underground hip hop is scant to say the least. Maybe I could get some help on that one...? TCRR: Tell us about Gloam.
OVALIZERIPE: GLoam is an experimental art rock band consisting of: myself (vocals and song programing and sequencing) My brother Fletcher Williams (guitar, programing and sequencing, Keyboards, technical stuff) my sister Michaela Perez (Keyboards and guitar) Brendan Schutt ( Bass) and Fernando Joaquin Guzman on (Drums). We play around Denver mostly, somtimes in Boulder, but we hope to plan a west coast tour soon. Our goal is to ever so gently push and prod on the fringes between harmony and chaos. TCRR: When did you start getting into making music?
OVALIZERIPE: I knew since I was a young one that was what I would do. My Dad plays classical guitar and my mom is a singer so I grew up surrounded by music and would listen to anything and everything. When I was like 13 I went through one of those ehem...metal /industrial phases and I thought I wanted to play guitar in a metal band. When I started producing songs in Buzz they sounded nothing like anything I was listening to or had ever heard before so I kept going with it wanting to experiment as much as posible. I have a hankerin' to create sounds and use samples that have never been heard before. For instance in the song "Ganymede" I use a sample of a recording of Jupiter's radio emissions.
TCRR: Who are some musicians in your peer group that you get inspiration from these days?
OVALIZERIPE: I'm always inspired by Denver band Fissure Mystic because of the tighness of the instrumentation and the sheer volume of songs written, but actually most of my inspiration comes from books and conversations or from some really random, unexpected quarters.
Ovalizeripe "Cunnus Diaboli and the Red Sulpher"
TCRR: What is your favorite song that you have recorded? OVALIZERIPE: I love all of dem songs so much but "Cunnus Diaboli and the Red Sulpher" puts a sprig in me step and a sparkle in my eye it does...
TCRR: What are some upcoming projects that you have your hand in, that you are real proud of? OVALIZERIPE: My sister Michaela and I are conjuring some crazy tunes together...but these are still in their embryonic phases. TCRR: Who are some Colorado artists that you would like to give a shout out to or just give due credit to? OVALIZERIPE: Fissure Mystic, The Vitamins, Ghost Buffalo, Tornado Alley, Lions the Brave, Timmy Flips, Harpoontang...list goes on.... TCRR: Can you tell us what the future holds for Ovalizeripe? OVALIZERIPE: Ovalizeripe hopes to quit her day job. And so do we...
