Author: Kyle Eustice

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Americana Bliss: The Avett Brothers’ Continue Their Rise to Notoriety

July 13, 2014

While it may seem unfathomable that New York City native and hip-hop aficionado Rick Rubin produced The Avett Brothers’ records, it’s really not that strange. Rubin has produced all types of music during the span of his career, including Americana. From Johnny Cash and The Beastie Boys to Mick Jagger and Public Enemy, Rubin has left his fingerprint on countless albums, and in the process, cemented his reputation as a legendary producer.

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Fuck Being Anything Else But Crazy

June 28, 2014

Clearly the atypical rapper, he deals in fallen angels and atheism, which alone sets him worlds apart from most other MCs. He has a style that absolutely murders the competition; speedy raps that combine wicked, tricky wordplay with melodic hooks, an on stage presence that involves tribal face paint, a straight jacket and blood red hair, making him one of the most unique figures in the game. With a career spanning over two decades, including fourteen studio albums and over two million independent sales, he’s no slacker either. After becoming increasingly frustrated with major labels, Tech launched his own imprint, Strange Music, Inc. in 1999 with his manager.

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Ceschi’s First Taste of Freedom

June 27, 2014

Fake Four, Inc., a small independent record label in New Haven, Connecticut, has far surpassed the expectations of its founders, brothers Ceschi and David Ramos. Established in 2008, it was born out of a mutual passion for music and grown by the love and support of its fans. As Fake Four was gathering momentum, putting out album after album and touring the world, Ceschi Ramos found himself in a terrible predicament, one even Hollywood couldn’t make up.

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The Ultimate Freak: Sir Mix-a-Lot Still Swass

April 11, 2014

In the early ‘90s, Seattle native Sir Mix-a-Lot proudly proclaimed: “I like big butts and I cannot lie” on 1992’s Mack Daddy, his third studio album and first for Def American. However, little do people know the two albums that preceded Mack Daddy contained some of his best material. From “Square Dance Rap” and “Swap Meat Louie” to “Posse on Broadway” and “Beepers,” there’s more to Mix-a-Lot than just big butts.

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Artist Profile: The Grouch and Eligh

March 3, 2014

Recently there has been an influx of hip-hop artists outspoken about their battles with addiction and subsequent recovery. Macklemore got real on the track “Otherside,” while Eligh of The Living Legends devoted an entire album to his recovery process in 2010’s Grey Crow.

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