For more than three years, Ras Kass has teased fans with a sequel to his cult-lauded 1996 debut, Soul On Ice. After an album trailer (with a fundraising drive) and a revival rendition of that Priority Records title track, “the Waterproof MC” takes a giant leap today (June 19). The Watts, California lyrical prophet announces that Soul On Ice 2 will release on July 26, and he unleashes its first official song, “Guns N Roses.” Making things even more exciting, the track is a cross-country collaboration with Styles P and Lil Fame. The beat has the energy of a LOX or M.O.P. cut. Razzy kicks things off with a nasal and unapologetic verse. Fame tackles the chorus with a funeral chant before S.P. delivers a spirited set of bars. Ras Kass Reflects In-Depth On The 20th Anniversary Of Soul On Ice (Video) In addition to Styles and Fizzy, the album involves Snoop Dogg (who reportedly also produces), Immortal Technique, Everlast, and CeeLo as well as production from Diamond D, Pete Rock, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, and DJ Green Lantern, among others. Previously, Ras Kass worked with Mello Music Group on 2014’s acclaimed Apollo Brown collabo’ LP,Blasphemy. The tracklist is as follows: 1. Silver Anniversary 2. Grammy Speech 3. Midnight Sun (feat. CeeLo Green) 4. F.L.Y. 5. Street Superstar 6. White P*wer (feat. Immortal Technique) 7. Shark Week 8. Wxt Thv Shxts 9. The Long Way (feat. Everlast) 10. G*ns N Roses (feat. Styles P & Lil Fame) 11. LL Cool J (feat. Snoop Dogg) 12. Trapped Music 13. Gingivitis w/ Jamo Gang (ElGant, J57 & Ras Kass) 14. Can U Feel It 15. Opioid Crisis A press release also confirms a hidden track. Diamond D Discusses His New Album Featuring Styles P, Xzibit, Elzhi & More (Video) Fame and Styles collaborated last month on “The Professionals.” In 2016, Ambrosia For Heads had a lengthy video discussion with Ras Kass surrounding the 20th-anniversary of Soul On Ice. That conversation and many others (including interviews and footage with Diamond D and Pete Rock) are available at AFH TV. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.
The series, taking its name from a text by Alain Locke, will make its debut on the network April 19, with a simulcast on BET. According to Pitchfork, it will feature guests of Hip-Hop peers including Method Man, MF DOOM, Phonte, Danny Brown, Lizzo, and past Open Mike collaborator, comedian Hannibal Buress.
“That book was a collection of essays, poetry, fiction, and music from a generation of emerging artists credited with launching the Harlem Renaissance,” Mike wrote in a statement with creative partner Baron Vaughn. “It was a place where Black people could define themselves instead of being defined by others. Our show aspires to do the same with stand-up comedy, music, and music videos. We’re paying homage to that original movement by inviting comedians and musicians to do what they do best: speak.” A trailer released:
Songs will be released in conjunction with each episode. This year, Mike, who has worked extensively with Mello Music Group, has appeared on albums by Blockhead and Pan Amsterdam.
The series, taking its name from a text by Alain Locke, will make its debut on the network April 19, with a simulcast on BET. According to Pitchfork, it will feature guests of Hip-Hop peers including Method Man, MF DOOM, Phonte, Danny Brown, Lizzo, and past Open Mike collaborator, comedian Hannibal Buress.
“That book was a collection of essays, poetry, fiction, and music from a generation of emerging artists credited with launching the Harlem Renaissance,” Mike wrote in a statement with creative partner Baron Vaughn. “It was a place where Black people could define themselves instead of being defined by others. Our show aspires to do the same with stand-up comedy, music, and music videos. We’re paying homage to that original movement by inviting comedians and musicians to do what they do best: speak.” A trailer released:
Songs will be released in conjunction with each episode. This year, Mike, who has worked extensively with Mello Music Group, has appeared on albums by Blockhead and Pan Amsterdam.
Twenty years ago, MC/producer/DJ J-Live was putting the finishing touches on his debut album, The Best Part. During that time, the talented artist was heard on DJ Premier’s New York Reality Check101 compilation. The Brooklyn, New York-based English teacher was also putting in acclaimed work with Prince Paul and Dan The Automator’s Handsome Boy Modeling School. Meanwhile, an anticipated LP for Hip-Hop Heads was jammed up in delays as Justice moved from Raw Shack Records to Payday/London Records, all without letting his release see the light of day.
It was not until 2001 that The Best Part released. Preemo and Prince Paul produced songs, as did Pete Rock and his brother Grap Luva, DJ Spinna, as well as 88-Keys. Even if the LP was late by J’s watch, the effort was right on time for legions of Hip-Hop fans. He wasted no time following up. A year later, All Of The Above was a powerful and personal sequel to one of the brightest talents out the Underground Hip-Hop. While there was Rawkus, Fondle ‘Em, Hydra and other crews of artists, J-Live teamed with The ArtifactsEl Da Sensei as well as Asheru & Blue Black for another team of talented voices.
By the end of the 2000s, J-Live had left NYC for Georgia, with a stop in Philadelphia in between. After two EPs and 2005’s The Hear Afterseemingly did not live up to the excited response of J’s first two albums, the triple-threat put it all on the table in the form of 2008’s Then What Happened?
For an artist who had been so personal with his audience, the release was another candid conversation, a dozen years after the journey began. DJ Jazzy Jeff, Da Beatminerz, DJ Nu-Mark, and Capital D produced. However, J-Live also involved Foreign Exchange’s Nicolay as well as an artist he’d been working with throughout the decade, Oddisee.
Originally released on BBE Records, the album contains the ultimate collaboration in J’s catalog. “The Upgrade” is a moment of optimism, shared between J, Oddisee (who also produces the cut), and De La Soul’s Posdnuos. At a time when the housing market bubble burst, Hip-Hop’s middle class seemed pushed to the fringes, and the CD was dying, these three men still found a reason to celebrate. That joy and positivity resonate more than a decade later. It was three artists whose careers seemed to start in three different decades, teaming up with a common message of self-worth and survival.
J kicks things off. Midway into his pepped-up verse, he declares, “I doubt that the stakes are that high / Not do or die, more like die or do / That’s what I’m going through / So J can get live at a venue near you / That’s why I quit the job way back in ’02 / We’re not here merely to survive off Rap / We’re trying to eat way healthier than that / So not to tread water, but to run laps / My legs been crampin’ since the starter-gun clapped / Not too many in the crew survived from that / So I learn how to stretch to avoid those traps,” Justice celebrates the sacrifice to get him to this point and fights for the cause, and references some De La song titles in doing so.
Oddisee rhymes next. The soulful multi-talent was a few years before a flood of attention was paid to his material. However, the moment shows that the great was always there for the Washington, D.C. product. “Born in D.C., raised in Maryland / Right away the corner from the grays and heroin / Played in the playground where them strays found / I’m talkin’ ’bout caps, y’all, not greyhounds / It’s all about the cap, y’all, I stayed down / Recess over, y’all, Oddisee don’t play now / Lookin’ for a beat? Holla at me, upgrade now / Unless you’re J-Live or Plug 1, you pay now.” The former A Touch Of Jazz affiliate was asserting his worth, and letting the industry know that he was more valuable than perhaps thought of in the past. Time shows that Oddisee was absolutely right.
Pos’ closes out the song with a trademark here-and-now verse from the Long Island legend. “Some say if the shoe fits, know there’s another foot that can fit in too / Don’t ask / Slip that foot in, walk that foot to the cash / Y’all can call me cash-shoes, some others call me work-matic / I’m a category 6 when at it / You’re all ecstatic in the form.” The nimble and unconventional rhyme is in the pocket as Plug 1 scoffs at people who were still calling the 20-year veteran “underground.” He compares himself to fish, and blows bubbles in the face of haters with an artful verse.
At a time when Hip-Hop needed a shot in the arm, J-Live, Oddisee, and Posdnuos gave us all an upgrade. J-Live recently added Then What Happened? and other titles to digital streaming platforms via his Mortier Music imprint.
#BonusBeat: J-Live’s October 2018 release Lose No Time:
Twenty years ago, MC/producer/DJ J-Live was putting the finishing touches on his debut album, The Best Part. During that time, the talented artist was heard on DJ Premier’s New York Reality Check101 compilation. The Brooklyn, New York-based English teacher was also putting in acclaimed work with Prince Paul and Dan The Automator’s Handsome Boy Modeling School. Meanwhile, an anticipated LP for Hip-Hop Heads was jammed up in delays as Justice moved from Raw Shack Records to Payday/London Records, all without letting his release see the light of day.
It was not until 2001 that The Best Part released. Preemo and Prince Paul produced songs, as did Pete Rock and his brother Grap Luva, DJ Spinna, as well as 88-Keys. Even if the LP was late by J’s watch, the effort was right on time for legions of Hip-Hop fans. He wasted no time following up. A year later, All Of The Above was a powerful and personal sequel to one of the brightest talents out the Underground Hip-Hop. While there was Rawkus, Fondle ‘Em, Hydra and other crews of artists, J-Live teamed with The ArtifactsEl Da Sensei as well as Asheru & Blue Black for another team of talented voices.
By the end of the 2000s, J-Live had left NYC for Georgia, with a stop in Philadelphia in between. After two EPs and 2005’s The Hear Afterseemingly did not live up to the excited response of J’s first two albums, the triple-threat put it all on the table in the form of 2008’s Then What Happened?
For an artist who had been so personal with his audience, the release was another candid conversation, a dozen years after the journey began. DJ Jazzy Jeff, Da Beatminerz, DJ Nu-Mark, and Capital D produced. However, J-Live also involved Foreign Exchange’s Nicolay as well as an artist he’d been working with throughout the decade, Oddisee.
Originally released on BBE Records, the album contains the ultimate collaboration in J’s catalog. “The Upgrade” is a moment of optimism, shared between J, Oddisee (who also produces the cut), and De La Soul’s Posdnuos. At a time when the housing market bubble burst, Hip-Hop’s middle class seemed pushed to the fringes, and the CD was dying, these three men still found a reason to celebrate. That joy and positivity resonate more than a decade later. It was three artists whose careers seemed to start in three different decades, teaming up with a common message of self-worth and survival.
J kicks things off. Midway into his pepped-up verse, he declares, “I doubt that the stakes are that high / Not do or die, more like die or do / That’s what I’m going through / So J can get live at a venue near you / That’s why I quit the job way back in ’02 / We’re not here merely to survive off Rap / We’re trying to eat way healthier than that / So not to tread water, but to run laps / My legs been crampin’ since the starter-gun clapped / Not too many in the crew survived from that / So I learn how to stretch to avoid those traps,” Justice celebrates the sacrifice to get him to this point and fights for the cause, and references some De La song titles in doing so.
Oddisee rhymes next. The soulful multi-talent was a few years before a flood of attention was paid to his material. However, the moment shows that the great was always there for the Washington, D.C. product. “Born in D.C., raised in Maryland / Right away the corner from the grays and heroin / Played in the playground where them strays found / I’m talkin’ ’bout caps, y’all, not greyhounds / It’s all about the cap, y’all, I stayed down / Recess over, y’all, Oddisee don’t play now / Lookin’ for a beat? Holla at me, upgrade now / Unless you’re J-Live or Plug 1, you pay now.” The former A Touch Of Jazz affiliate was asserting his worth, and letting the industry know that he was more valuable than perhaps thought of in the past. Time shows that Oddisee was absolutely right.
Pos’ closes out the song with a trademark here-and-now verse from the Long Island legend. “Some say if the shoe fits, know there’s another foot that can fit in too / Don’t ask / Slip that foot in, walk that foot to the cash / Y’all can call me cash-shoes, some others call me work-matic / I’m a category 6 when at it / You’re all ecstatic in the form.” The nimble and unconventional rhyme is in the pocket as Plug 1 scoffs at people who were still calling the 20-year veteran “underground.” He compares himself to fish, and blows bubbles in the face of haters with an artful verse.
At a time when Hip-Hop needed a shot in the arm, J-Live, Oddisee, and Posdnuos gave us all an upgrade. J-Live recently added Then What Happened? and other titles to digital streaming platforms via his Mortier Music imprint.
#BonusBeat: J-Live’s October 2018 release Lose No Time:
Joell Ortiz and Apollo Brown recently headed into Sway In The Morning with Heather B to talk the release of their joint new 12-track album “Mona Lisa” which features Royce Da 5’9, KXNG Crooked and DJ Los that dropped on Mello Music Group. The album is entirely produced completely by Apollo Brown and is another classic from him in the same vein as Apollo’s other joint album’s that he has done with Cormega, Ras Kass, Ghostface Killah, Locksmith, Planet Asia, Skyzoo, OC of D.I.T.C., Guilty Simpson and Hassaan Mackey to date. Check their new full release here.
Joell Ortiz handles some difficult questions from Sway regarding the break-up of Slaughterhouse, the recent Joe Budden vs. Eminem beef and a lot more. He gives some unique insights into how both Just Blaze and Q-Tip were set to joint executive produce the upcoming Slaughterhouse album which didn’t eventuate for a release (yet… ). The quality project overall is a very welcome release and reminds us all of the quality in which both Ortiz and Apollo Brown have in their respective fields.
