Daily Mix: January 2008 Archives

With an intoxicating melody and a syncopated drum line, the production of P.C.P. Muzik is sure to make you feel "shermed out". With a mixture of East Coast boom bap and down south screw the production coming from Primate and CamJay is a sound seldom heard from the ring tone rappers and cookie-cutter production that is saturating hip-hop nowadays. This is music for the people. People say hip-hop isn't dead it just lives in the South, and hip-hop is alive and well in this Memphis duo.

JS:  Ok, let's get down to business. First things first, I've heard about the brand new Lutinent G single, what's the deal? I'm sure its fire, but when can we hear it?

Primate (P): First off, we got up with Lutinent G's manager via internet, and he liked our different sound. You know? Memphis is full of similarity, but we offer something different than the status quo. We sent more tracks to G, he listened to about a half dozen then set up a studio session, grabbed two for his upcoming release, and the rest is history. The new Lutinent G single, "Da Streets" is over one of our tracks.

CamJay (C): Its good to note that Lutinent G has a producer by the name of Sky and he (Lutinent G) didn't want to fuck with us at first. He thought that our music was just going to be wack, but he heard us and then compared us to the Neptunes. He thinks we're the future, which is great.

JS: You know, some people believe that the South is over-saturated with a lot of music that all sounds the same, how do you guys avoid the "dime a dozen" production that makes money but bad music, and how would you describe your sound?

P: I would describe us as a mix of my East Coast background combined with Cam's Texas swag; it's just a blend of two great hip-hop styles into one sound. I won't listen to garbage music, so it won't be in my music. I mean Virginia isn't the Bronx, but my influences growing up were mainly from the East Coast.

C: I mean I'm so southern, but I'm not influenced by D4L, I'm influenced by real southern music, I mean, UGK, (rest in peace Pimp C), Scarface, Outkast, the real hip-hop. True hip-hop. The people that will still ring out thirty years from now.  Our music is a perfect blend of East Coast with Primate's background and my southern swag just adds something different, and hopefully our music can bring two conflicting groups together and ease the tension from coast to coast. I mean East Coast people will hear the vocal samples, the cuts, and enjoy it, and the Southern folk will hear the shuffles, bass, and drops and enjoy it. You gotta make music for the people, wherever their from.

JS: Primate, I hear that you are doing big things as a DJ as well, from working real close with Al Kapone, to starting the Legion DJ's. What's the deal?

P- Well, Al is a great influence, and working with someone like him is such a great opportunity, you know? But the Legion DJ's is a worldwide DJ collective started by DJ Chev and myself which just recently performed at the Memphis Industry Showcase, an event which brought together a lot of artists in the Memphis area and the deeper south to showcase and network before the Southern Entertainment Awards. It went real well, CamJay came through and both P.C.P. Muzik and the Legion DJ's were in full effect. Kapone, Frasier Boy were all there...Wendy Day, I mean everyone that is involved in the Memphis Hip-Hop movement. The Lutinent G track was played and it got a real good response, I mean it was at the New Daisy, which is definitely a historic venue.

JS: How's the Memphis scene? Also, what do you all bring to the table, not being Memphis natives?

P: Memphis is strugglin' you know? There is a lot of talent but no one supports each other. There is way too much competition, which usually breeds success; however there is a lot disconnection and a lack of unity that is dragging the city down.  And to describe what I bring to the table, coming from Virginia, I listened to a huge medley of hip-hop and that mixture of sounds has influenced me from day one. I mean I'll chop up a vocal sample for the East Coast emcees and then the next day I'll make a track for the South. I just bring what I know to the table.

C- Yeah, I mean I'm a real Texan myself, but I'll bring some influences from DJ Premier as well as Lil' Jon for example. I mean people in Memphis are used to hearing the same music, beats, and lyrics. I mean the reason that Memphis isn't as big as Miami or Atlanta is that they can't unite. There needs to be a movement, I mean it may sound cliché, but "United we Stand, Divided we Fall". I mean look at "I'm So Hood" all of Miami is together, unified. That doesn't happen in Memphis. Yo Gotti, could be the biggest rapper out period, but he isn't as big as he should be because of a lack of unification and support from his city. I mean what major artists are beefing in Florida? No one, but in Memphis it's everywhere.

JS: So what's next for P.C.P.? Any big plans in 2008?

P: Well, first off, big up to MixtapeKings.com, thanks for the opportunity to be featured on such a quality website. As for 2008, the Lutinent G single is coming out.  Also, look for the new single produced by P.C.P. by Young Rufus called "She's A Pro". Hopefully we'll start making a name for ourselves that's more than just Memphis and maybe draw some attention nationally. Shout out to Big Phil and Soop, Skewby, DJ Chev, Dynamic Producer, and my people back in the 434.

C- There is no question about P.C.P. blowing up, it'll happen. We're just trying to stay positive and look out for the future. We love Hip-Hop, so we're just trying to further ourselves and the art form. We don't have time to hate on artists. I got a mixtape coming out called "Texas 2 Tennessee Vol. 1" hosted by P.C.P.'s own DJ Primate.  We out here getting it, grinding, making beautiful muzik.  Hopefully all our fans from "Texas 2 Tennessee" to Virginia will show support for all that we have cooking up for 2008.   Last but not least I want to give a shout out to every single person in the 903 & the rest of the LONE STAR STATE.

If you want to get in contact with these virtuosos shoot them an e-mail at [email protected] or check the MySpace: myspace.com/pcpbeats.

"FUCK YOU", rang out in choral unison at Richmond's Landmark Theater Friday night. With Weezy F. Baby leading the almost riot like crowd in an obvious mark of disdain at two thousand openers mumbling over the same T-Pain track, two hosts that muttered the two words "Weezy" and "Ladies" over fifteen hundred times with little to no effect, and a DJ who, I presume, grabbed two twelve hundreds for the first time the day of the show, the night seemed bound for the history books. And a special fourteen day witch hunt led by Bill O'Reilly. However, after the DJ found out how to work his Playskool "My First Turntable" Wayne did make history. His performance pushed him onto the top of my list of the best live performers that I have ever witnessed. Obviously upset and emotionally drained after his trying day in a Yuma, Arizona court, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. left his heart, voice, and soul on the stage in Virginia. After suffering through four hours and forty-eight minutes of "Dem Franchize Boyz" cover bands, Birdman Jr. laid down the best live performance that I have ever seen.

I have heard rumblings that Lil Wayne's performance left Richmond concert goers unsatisfied, however, the people that sat through the long delay were treated to a great show, and real Wayne fans definitely got their money's worth. Wayne flew in after a court hearing in Arizona, there was nothing that he could do himself to get to Richmond faster. If you left the show early, you missed something special, otherwise praise his grand performance and accept the long delay as a necessary occurrence. If any animosity should be voiced, it should be towards the concert promoters and hosts for their complete and utter failure at properly managing this situation. Telling the audience members (like myself) that Wayne was in the building, while he was three thousand feet in the air, is plain rude, inconsiderate, and belittling. Give credit, where credit is due, and blame where blame is due.

I am no stranger to the arena of live hip-hop, I would even go so far to call myself a "connoisseur" of real live rap shows. I have had the pleasure of seeing countless hip-hop wordsmiths, rip microphones leaving thousands of spectators gasping for air, unmoving, and almost unable to comprehend that mastery of the English language that was just put on display, yet I have seen no one as good live as Lil' Wayne. From a vicious freestyle, to a shirtless devouring of "Best Rapper Alive" to a wailing guitar solo on "My Leather's So Soft" Wayne did not fail to amaze me. Lil Wayne garnered much respect for performing at all in Richmond, but solidified himself as a God for what he did on stage. You better catch Wayne while you can, because Weezy is worth it, because after that intoxicating performance, "I Feel Like Dying".

Kia Shine of "Wow" and  "Krispy" fame was involved in a brawl at the 5^th Annual Southern Entertainment Awards in Tunica, Mississippi. An eyewitness told MixtapeKings.com that although the altercation seemed to break-out after some scathing comments about Kia Shine's record sale numbers by industry vet Wendy Day in regards to faking sales, there had been many negative remarks made towards Kia Shine throughout the entirety of the weekend, which finally erupted into a full-blown altercation after Wendy Day's remarks. Kia Shine took the S.E.A. stage and turned it into his own pulpit, reacting to the allegations that Day had made, and as soon as he exited the stage, an altercation broke out between Kia Shine, a Memphis, Tenn. native, and the TMI Boyz, an up and coming independent group based in Houston and Galveston, Texas. Witness statements declared that, "After everything cleared, Kia Shine was still standing." Despite the brawl the S.E.A.'s continued without interruption for the rest of the night.

The Southern Entertainment Awards are in recognition of achievements in Southern hip-hop. The award show occupies an entire weekend every year, with the emphasis on recognizing accomplishments in Southern Hip-Hop, but also aiding the networking and conferencing of different Southern artists. Artists such as Yo Gotti, J. Mill, B.O.B., and Gorilla Zoe were all in attendance.Shout out to our partner site Rapmullet.com for winning Best Website of the Year.

By Dimez
Mixtapekings.com

The year is over kings and queens and if you're a true mixtape fan, then you know that 2007 was the "year of Wayne". That one artist was the subject of so many mixtapes that we decided that for the "Top 7 of the Year", we were going to pick the best one of hundreds and that went to the Empire. However, we couldn't ignore the success of "Blood, Sweat & Tears". Mick Boogie didn't do much this year, but its clear that he's chosen quality over quantity. It may have come late in the year, but "Dilla-gence" is an original.

After Cam and 50 went head up on Hot 97, 50 was easy to find, but Cam was hidden like he was in witness protection until "Public Enemy #1" dropped. Joe Budden took the game by storm with "Mood Muzik 3" and that may have the labels going nuts, because it was by far the biggest hit of the year. What can we say about Kanye that hasn't already been said? "The Best of Biggie" may have been overlooked but its a classic like Jordan retro'san so you have to respect it. Not to mention it flew off the shelf like beer at a frat party.

On another note, please be sure to check out our apparel section for the official "Mood Muzik 3" t's as well as the new line "Illestrations" by famed mixtape graphic artist Miami Kaos. They will be in stock in two weeks. The demand has become greater than we expected, hence the delay. We appreciate the support and are looking forward to 2008. See you there sons and daughters of royalty.