AXIS 2011: Sweet Motel Alabama

 
   So here I find myself out on the road for a month or so with some of the best crazies the Atlanta band scene has to offer. And I must say it's not too bad. We were lucky enough to play our first show of the tour at The Alabama Music Box in Mobile, AL courtesy of our homeboy Seth. The turnout was decent for a Wednesday night and we had a great time performing and hanging out, as we always do in Mobile. I would go so far to say that we brought so much funk to Mobile, the cops had to come out and see what was causing the commotion. The Axis did the damn thing as always.

I paged him 5 minutes ago, he should be here by now

The real fun came later that night when we realized we had chosen a Meth-Tel 6 as our motel for the evening. At first it seemed like a good idea. It was 2:30am, we were tired and it was the cheapest, by 2 dollars (Slappy ya cheap bastard). Our first warning should have been the police car stationed by there non-working pool, or perhaps the family of three with all their belongings inside of their car while they sat on the curb. I think the real giveaway that we were in Mobile's Meth Mecca, was the white man that approached the van while Slappy got the rooms. He walked right up on us like he did this shit all the time. You gotta remember we are 8 people in a 15 passenger van. He thought he had caught the big fish. He had all his identification out, I thought he was some type of security guard. But he was showing me certification badges for welding and his social security card. I live in East Atlanta and I am no stranger to "people in need" but this guy was hilarious. He pulled up next to our van in a pick-up truck and and then asked for money because he was out of gas. "Why don't you drive to the gas station and beg?" Is what I should have said, but it didn't come to me til just now. He followed with he had lost his job and his water heater was broke. "Why are you at the Motel 6 at 3:00am in the morning if you don't have a room here?" That also would have been a good question.To make a long story short, we told him no and Solomon guarded/slept in the van. The lesson learned here is, bring meth on the road for trade. Now off to Telluride, Colorado with a glorious 28 hour ride. See you there.

Ally and Smoove Lips

The Greenville Gangsta

Time to blow this methsicle stand

The Axis Summer Tour 2011 with Cherry Royale and The Sixteen Bars Hip Hop Orchestra

   Damn that is a long title, we are definitely going to have to find a way to shorten that for the future. Right now though, we are going to introduce the crew setting off on this fantastic-like journey. First off we can't forget my main man Slappy Goodman, who by pure force of will has put this whole thing together. Bless his little heart. He is also the lead guitarist and driver extraordinaire. The one and only Mrs. Alvetta Newby-Jones with her beautiful voice and constant mothering. Her patient husband, Mr. Richard Jones, the human drum machine. He is the best thing to happen to drumsticks since hands. Solomon Wright on bass, trumpet and all the women. My homeboy MJ straight outta Greenville, who handles the keys for us, but I'm pretty sure he can play anything. Rob Robinson a master percussionist and Honorary Funkateer, who will not like the fact that I will be calling him "Smoove Lips" from here on out. The lovely Ally Stevens of Goodfoot Promotions bringing extra love and much needed assistance. And me, MCSubZero, a b-boy that is just happy to be here. Together we form the funk/r&b/jazz/hip-hop collective Cherry Royale and The Sixteen Bars Hip Hop Orchestra, and for the record those ARE two different bands with the same members. We have set off on a multi-city tour across America from Atlanta to California and many places in-between. Everyday we will be posting more and more content including pictures, video and blogs about our Scooby-Doo-like adventures. So if you know us check us out and if you don't know us, get to know us. Spread the Word.

Zero

Some people keep telling me that the city is blurred in this picture.
To that I say "pay your tab sir and catch a cab home"

Bad Meets Evil: The Review

   I have been an Eminem fan since the very beginning. Ever since his national debut in 1997, I along with the rest of world watched his meteoric rise to well deserved super-stardom. Right from the start of The Slim Shady LP you know that you are witnessing something one of a kind. Along with Eminem we are introduced to Royce da 5'9, Em's partner in rhyme in more ways than one. With the popularity of Em's album, it was baffling that Royce did not share in a larger part of his fame. While gaining tremendous underground respect as one of the most lyrically dangerous emcees around, true mainstream success has eluded the Detroit wordsmith. But after squashing an old beef, the Motor City's sons of anarchy are back with a vengeance and Hip-Hop is better for it.

 

 From the opening bars you will find yourself upset that they didn't do this sooner. They compliment each other so well it's hard to believe they ever disagreed on anything. With Em's razor sharp wit and Royce's equally over top sense of humor, this EP puts to rest any discussions on whether lyrics truly matter anymore. The first single Fastlane is a lighting fast display of both rappers mastery of the mic and comfort with each other. Royce never lets Eminem to truly outshine him, although Em definitely tries. Songs like I'm On Everything feat. Mike Epps and The Reunion take you back to a more humorous Em, who has taking a more serious turn recently "Tell Lady Gaga/ if she quits her job at the post office/ she's still a male lady" While Royce takes this opportunity to address any doubts of his his ability and fortitude with lines like "These weak rappers wanna set us up/ They never tough/ They ask me for a hook/ I say left or right, head or gut. The pair effortlessly tackle subjects from drugs to bootlegging, while also indulging in their trademark back and forth storytelling. With few guest appearances, pop wunderkind Bruno Mars and label-mates Slaughterhouse,  this EP does fantastic job of showcasing the skills of both emcees while not giving in to the childish demands of current Hip-Hop. All in all this is a great contribution to to the summer and has me looking  forward to more from this duo and Slaughterhouse's next project.

4.5 out of 5

Stand Outs

I'm On Everything feat. Mike Epps 
A Kiss
Living Proof (Bonus Track)

The Welcome Pt. 3 - Here's Where It Gets Really Good 1983-1985

      Welcome back to The Sixteenth Bar. First I would like to thank everyone for the support that I have been receiving and I look forward to bringing you more content. Today we are going to finish up our history lesson we started yesterday. I know in the first part, a lot of you were probably struggling for something you truly recognized. But now we get to a point were Hip-Hop has begun to spread out of just clubs and parties and becomes more mainstream than ever before. And all it took was three guys from Hollis, Queens better known as Run-D.M.C. From the moment Run-D.M.C. walked onto the seen you began to notice a change in the overall creative momentum of Hip-Hop. While many songs prior to Run D.M.C. tended to sound a lot alike, after the release of Sucker MCs you can notice a major difference in Hip-Hop's musical direction. Let me know what you think.


1983-
Another successful year for Hip Hop. Jazz legend Herbie Hancock and Grandmaster D.St. release the electro-funk Grammy winning "Rockit" while Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five release their second most important recording that ranks with Afrika Bambaataa's "Looking for the Perfect Beat": "White Lines (Don't Do It)". Man Parrish also releases the seminal "Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)". More importantly, Run DMC debut with "It's Like That/Sucker MCs'" single and begin their conquest as Hip Hop's biggest and most influential group of all time ("Sucker MCs'" is regarded as the first hardcore rap track). T. La Rock & Jazzy Jay kick start Hip Hop's biggest record label, Def Jam, as Ice T. debuts with the first "hardcore" rap as do punk rockers Beastie Boys with their first rap record "Cooky Puss". Kraftwerk venture into Hip Hop with "Tour De France", and Cybotron birth techno with their electro-funk anthem "Clear". Electro-funk remains prosperous as the Hip Hop soul movement grows with C-Bank which foreshadows Shannon's "Let the Music Play" which truly begins another Hip Hop variant born out of electro-funk: freestyle music or Latin Hip Hop.

Excuse me, do you know the way to the Police Academy?

 
Notable Songs:
1. Rockit - Herbie Hancock and Grandmaster D.St.
2. White Lines (Don't Do It) - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
3. It's Like That/Sucker MCs - Run DMC
4. Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop) - Man Parrish
5. Al Naafiysh (The Soul) - Hashim
6. Clear - Cybotron
7. Buffalo Gals - Malcolm McLaren & The World's Famous Supreme Team
8. Lookout Weekend - Debbie Deb
9. It's Yours - T. La Rock & Jazzy Jay
10. No Sell Out - Malcolm X with Keith LeBlanc
11. The Payoff Mix - Mastermix of GLOBE and Whiz Kid's Play That Beat Mr. DJ
12. Jam on Revenge - Newcleus
13. Cooky Puss - Beastie Boys
14. Cold Winter Madness - Ice T
15. Play That Beat Mr. DJ - G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid


1984-
Another healthy year. Run DMC continue to be a strong force in the post-seminal song era of Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa, having their "Rock Box" video being the first rap song played on MTV. Freestyle music flourishes with Alisha ("All Night Passion"), Debbie Deb, Shannon ("Give Me Tonight"), and Nayobe ("Please Don't Go"). Kurtis Blow releases the last batch of his greatest songs before fading, giving way to newcomer Doug E. Fresh and Whodini. U.T.F.O., originally backup singers for Whodini, record "Roxanne, Roxanne" which creates the biggest and most influential all-time trend in Hip Hop. Somewhere between 50-100 response records ensue, and two of them ("The Real Roxanne" and "Roxanne's Revenge") become massive classics, opening the door for female MCs to gain massive success in the future such as MC Lyte, Salt N Pepa, and Queen Latifah. 2 Live Crew's "It's Gotta Be Fresh EP", released in late 1984, is the first significant Hip Hop record from the south and births what is know as Miami Bass, another Hip Hop variant alongside electro-funk and freestyle and early techno. Also, Afrika Bambaataa, "The Godfather of Hip Hop", unites with "The Godfather of Soul", James Brown, to record "Unity" which later causes an explosion in the sampling of James Brown records, a vital Hip Hop feature. Divine Sounds score a hit with their Run-DMC-like "What People Do for Money" as The Fat Boys become the most comical characters in Hip Hop (later collaborating with The Beach Boys and Chubby "The Twist" Checker).

It just doesnt get better than this.

Notable Songs: 
 1. Rock Box - Run DMC
2. Roxanne's Revenge - Roxanne Shante
3. Roxanne, Roxanne - U.T.F.O.
4. Freaks Come Out At Night - Whodini
5. Jam On It - Newcleus
6. Unity - Afrika Bambaataa and James Brown
7. One for the Treble - Davy DMX
8. The Real Roxanne - The Real Roxanne
9. When I Hear Music (It Makes Me Dance) - Debbie Deb
10. Egypt, Egypt - Egyptian Lover
11. Just Having Fun (Do the Beat Box) - Doug E. Fresh
12. Request Line - Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three
13. Jail House Rap - The Fat Boys
14. 8 Million Stories - Kurtis Blow
15. It's Gotta Be Fresh (Revelation/2 Live) - 2 Live Crew


1985-
1985: The last great year of old school Hip Hop before the advent of overblown sampling and "Walk This Way" which took Hip Hop into a new direction both musically and culturally. Toddy Tee releases a seminal West Coast jam that foreshadows "gangsta" rap (along with rapper Schoolly D.'s "PSK-What Does it Mean?"). Freestyle hits it big with Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam, Nu Shooz ("I Can't Wait"), Connie ("Funky Little Beat") and Trinere ("All Night"). Miami Bass evolves and garners hits with records such as MC A.D.E.'s (Adrian Does Everything) "Bass Rock Express". Clearly, Doug E. Fresh, the king of beatboxing, owns the year 1985 as his records "La Di Da Di" and "The Show" took Hip Hop into a new direction and stand as massive influential classics.

I can't live without my radio... or my hat or my chap-stick or my weights

Notable Songs:
1. The Show - Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew
2. La Di Da Di - Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew
3. I Can't Live Without My Radio - LL Cool J
4. I Need a Beat - LL Cool J
5. I Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & The Cult Jam
6. The Roof is on Fire - Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three
7. The Show Stoppa (Is Stupid Fresh) - Super Nature (Salt N Pepa)
8. P.S.K.-What Does It Mean? (Park Side Killers) - Schoolly D
9. Batterram - Toddy Tee a.k.a. Todd Howard
10. Alice, I Want You Just for Me - Full Force
11. Big Mouth - Whodini
12. Fresh is the Word - Mantronix
13. Don't Stop the Rock - Freestyle
14. Terminator - Kid Frost
15. A Fly Girl - The Boogie Boys



That's it for the history lesson. See you tomorrow Keep Classic Hip-Hop Alive and Spread The Word.
Comments Please

The Welcome Pt. 2 - A Little History Before We Get Started 1979-1982

    For my second entry, I figured a little early Hip-Hop history might put us all on some common ground. I would love to say that I researched and comprised all this information myself but alas, I cannot. Luckily in the lovely age of the internet practically anything no matter how obscure seems to be easily found, with just a little digging. I personally learned much more than I thought I would and found some ultra-classic Hip-Hop that really deserves to be heard again. Most of these artist have long been forgotten by even the most die-hard Hip-Hop heads, while others are forever imbedded in music history forever. But make no mistake all these artist did their part to nourish the fledgling art that became our culture. And just so we are clear I love most of the new Hip-Hop, artist and songs (more than I should). But if we can't hold on to a music history that's barely 40 years old then we are fucked. And just for fun keep score of how much of this you remember. Don't forget to click the links for some reminders of what Hip-Hop used to be like. Comments are encouraged. SPREAD THE WORD.

1979-
Hip Hop music on record is born by Fatback Band's "King Tim III", Younger Generation's "We Rap More
Mellow", and The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" (Hip Hop legend Grandmaster Caz wrote the lyrics but never got credit). Important artists such as Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash also begin their careers, and some of the first socio-political-conscious records arise on the Paul Winley label through chiefly Tanya Winley. Philadelphia's legendary radio personality Lady B becomes the first female rapper to have a record, and Steve Gordon's "Take My Rap" is considered to be the first white rap record. Afro-Filipino Joe Bataan creates a hit with his "Rap-O, Clap-O", the first signs of Hip Hop's diversity. Enjoy Records and Sugar Hill Records become the defining Hip Hop labels of the old school era.

Notable Songs:
1. Rapper's Delight - The Sugar Hill Gang
2. King Tim III (Personality Jock) - Fatback Band
3. Rappin' and Rocking the House - Funky Four Plus One
4. Christmas Rappin' - Kurtis Blow
5. Superrappin' - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
6. To the Beat Y'All - Lady B
7. We Rap More Mellow - Younger Generation (a.k.a. Grandmaster Flash, et al)
8. Rhythm Talk - Jocko
9. Rhymin' and Rappin' - Paulette and Tanya Winley
10. Rap-O, Clap-O - Joe Bataan
11. Lady D - Lady D
12. Jazzy 4 MCs - MC Rock
13. Rhapazooty in Blue - Sickle Cell and Rhapazooty
14. Spiderap - Ron Hunt
15. Looking Good (Shake Your Body) - Eddie Cheba

And we would've gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those meddling kids

1980-
This is Kurtis Blow's year. He becomes the first rapper signed to a major record label, Mercury Records, where his song "The Breaks" becomes a certified gold record. He is the first to release a Hip Hop album, to embark on a Hip Hop tour, to be featured on television ("Soul Train" in October), and the first to give rap mainstream marketability (he also opened up for The Commodores and Bob Marley on tour). Rap is still seen as a fad although several disco-Hip Hop hybrids prove successful such as "Funk You Up", "Zulu Nation Throwdown Part I", "The New Rap Language", and "Monster Jam". Casper has the first rap record in Chicago, and The Sequence become the first all-female rap crew on record. Treacherous Three's "Body Rock" is the first Hip Hop song to use rock guitars, and Blondie member Deborah Harry's "Rapture" is the first massive Hip Hop record done by a white artist.

Notable Songs:
1. The Breaks - Kurtis Blow
2. The New Rap Language - Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three
3. Zulu Nation Throwdown Part I - Afrika Bambaataa & Cosmic Force
4. Funk You Up - The Sequence
5. Monster Jam - Spoonie Gee and The Sequence
6. Rapture - Blondie
7. 8th Wonder - The Sugarhill Gang
8. Freedom - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
9. Love Rap - Spoonie Gee and The Treacherous Three
10. Adventures of Super Rhyme (Rap) - Jimmy Spicer
11. Death Mix - Afrika Bambaataa
12. Spoonin' Rap - Spoonie Gee
13. Body Rock - The Treacherous Three
14. Vicious Rap - Tanya Winley
15. How We Gonna Make the Black Nation Rise? - Brother D with Collective Effort

I'll give you three guesses why they call me Blow, and the first two don't count.

The Welcome

I guess today is as good a day as any to start this, so let's get down to it. First off let me introduce myself, my name is MCSUBZERO, but you can just call me Zero. Now I decided to start a blog for no other reason than to express myself, with the hope I might eventually exert some influence on the world around me. Let's be honest, isn't that what we all want? At the end of the day I'm probably one of those cats whose friends constantly tells him should be a stand-up comic or writer. Or maybe my mother succeeded in convincing me that my voice should indeed be heard, cause I am somehow special (she did and it probably hurt more than it helped, but that's for another entry). I think that I'm compelled more by what I see as a deficiency in the treatment and preservation of classic Hip-Hop. As the all encompassing Hip-Hop generation gets older, we must take more strides to respect the pioneering artist and songs that helped turn this urban movement into the biggest worldwide cultural phenomenon ever. I mean we all know of the current power of Hip-Hop with artist from Jay-Z to Common, The Roots to Queen Latifah or even Russell Simmons to Tupac Shakur. Hip-Hop is everywhere and I mean everywhere. Remember a time when you would be shocked to hear a Hip-Hop influenced commercial on T.V.. Or better yet do you remember the first time you saw one of your favorite rappers doing a commercial for anything. You went straight out and got it, Now who can afford to keep up, rappers hock everything from soda to cars and everything in between. But we can't forget the artist of the 80's and early 90's who with very little reward, compared to now, set the ground work that made this whole thing possible. In any other genre of music they put their pioneers on a pedestal, and here we are rewarding amnesia. So here in this blog I will attempt to bring light to that which we are trying to forget. In with the new, respecting the old. Til next time and tell your friends.