X-Plane: Adam's World Artist of the Week

X-Plane

From Adam Bernard:

"A couple months ago X-Plane sent me a video for his song “Witout Spinach Popeye Get Black Eyes.” I dug both the concept of the song and X-Plane’s flow. A few weeks later he sent me another video and I noticed an interesting common thread - they were both shot in what looked to be an unfinished house. He had a couple more videos that were also done in the same location and as the clips started piling up, so did my interest in X-Plane’s work."

"This week I caught up with X-Plane to find out more about his music, his secret video shooting location, and why if you need a MetroCard he’s the emcee you want to see (could a collab with Miz Metro be in his future?)."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

ScienZe: Adam's World Artist of the Week

ScienZe

From Adam Bernard:

"ScienZe is an emcee hailing from Brooklyn, NY, who was highly recommended to me by former Artist Of The Week Top $ Raz. When I started doing my research on ScienZe the first thing I came across was his video for "Her Favorite Song." The ode to his significant other really struck me as something unique as we don't usually hear a lot of emcees expressing the emotion of love except when in reference to emceeing, or, in the case of many mainstream rappers, material things."

"Wanting to know more about ScienZe, I caught up with him this week to discuss his music, as well as the finer points of his Commercial FREE Movement, and why he feels there's such a lack of love in hip-hop."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Guante: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Guante

From Adam Bernard:

"The Midwest is one of the country’s true hotbeds for hip-hop right now and Minnesota is the state that’s leading the way. After former Artist Of The Week Sketch Tha Cataclysm moved out there he immediately told me about Guante, a Minnesota-based emcee and poet who is originally from Wisconsin. I checked out some of Guante’s work and was really impressed. His most recent album is El Guante’s Haunted Studio Apartment, and he just finished up recording a collaboration with Big Cats! titled An Unwelcome Guest. He’s also working on a one-man spoken word theater show he hopes to debut in the spring, tentatively titled The Fist that Lives in Your Neck."

"Guante’s work qualifies as both unique and intense. A good example of this would be the way he describes An Unwelcome Guest, saying “it’s a concept album, a zombies-superhero-love-story-parable that deals with issues of displacement and violence as a tool for social change.” This week I caught up with Guante to find out more about his work, his causes, and why there’s a good chance he’s on a first name basis with his pizza delivery guy."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

YC The Cynic: Adam's World Artist of the Week

YC The Cynic

From Adam Bernard:

"YC The Cynic is an emcee I’ve been aware of for a number of years. I’d not only heard his name from some artists I trust and respect, but I’ve even had a handful of conversations with him. What I hadn’t seen until a few weeks ago, however, was YC The Cynic perform. Thankfully he was able to jump on the mic at the last Bondfire show and it didn’t take long for me to figure out what all the talk was about, YC The Cynic is seriously dope. He’s also young, which makes him part of the next generation of emcees in NYC."

"This week I caught up with him to find out more about what that next generation has to offer, if he’s really as cynical as his name might suggest, and why there are certain hip-hop shows were you definitely don’t want to just hit on anyone in a dress."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Nyle: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Nyle

From Adam Bernard:

"Anti-machismo, lonely stoner, and a post-Tribe/Pharcyde type of vibe are just three of the ways Nyle feels his work can be described. Most people who hear him rhyme, however, have found a shorter, one word, description for his style – dope. Nyle's fan base has been growing steadily since his arrival in NYC from Philly a handful of years ago and he points to his content as one of the reasons for this, saying 'the stuff I write about is easy to relate to.'"

"Nyle also has a great range when it comes to his music as he point out his body of work includes everything from "straight rap jawns like 'Gangrel,'" to "a T-Pain parody song called 'Fuck A Nice Guy.'" No matter what he may be spittin about, Nyle has developed a reputation for always gettin busy on the mic and this week I caught up with him to ask him about making it in NYC's crowded hip-hop scene, which kind of naysayers he loves, and why so many people know him by so many different names."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

The Revelations ft. Tre Williams: Adam's World AOTW

The Revelations ft. Tre Williams

From Adam Bernard:

"Hip-hop and R&B fans may be familiar with the name Tre Williams as he was the first artist Nas signed to Ill Will Records. Those same fans may also be familiar with Rell from his time with Rocafella Records. Neither artist’s major label deal panned out, but they managed to come together with keyboard player Borahm Lee, bassist Josh Werner, drummer Gintas Janusonis and guitarist Wes Mingus (pictured L to R followed by Rell and Tre), to form the soul super-group The Revelations."

"The sextet just released their debut LP, The Bleeding Edge, and it's so good that it easily warranted the dynamic soul group an Artist Of The Week feature. This week I caught up with Williams for that feature and found out more about The Revelations, the sneaky way he made sure Rell would be a part of the group, and how his time with the majors prepared him for his current journey as an independent artist."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Logic: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Logic

From Adam Bernard:

"It’s a safe bet that nearly every veteran of Connecticut’s hip-hop scene has come into contact with Logic at some point during their career. Personally, I was first introduced to him back when I was co-hosting a radio show called In Da Mixx with DJ Cue and he came through as a part of team of artists. That was a good half decade ago. Since then the scene has experienced its fair share of turnover, and while Logic has seen it all, he’s been forced to watch much of it from the sidelines, unable to perform or release any of his own work due to a painful medical condition."

"This week, on the heels of the release of his very long awaited album, The Business of Gods and Men, I caught up with Logic to find out more about the life and death situation that kept him out of commission for so long, what his music sounds like now, and who’s been with him every step of the way."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Jd Webb: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Jd Webb

ProHipHop missed this a week or two back!  From Adam Bernard:

"Rakim once stated “I know you got soul,” and although he said that line back in the 80’s it would be no surprise if he repeated it upon meeting Jd Webb. At first glance Webb may look more like a pop singer, but if you choose to judge this book by its cover you’ll miss out on one of the freshest voices to hit the R&B/soul scene in a long time."

"After listening to Webb’s solo debut, The Introduction, I sat down with him to find out more about his musical history, which essentially dates back to his birth, why he decided to go indie after having label deals as a part of two groups, and his interesting choice in hobbies that would make Evil Knievel proud."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

J.Monopoly: Adam's World Artist of the Week

J.Monopoly

From Adam Bernard:

"Hollis, Queens has been home to a number of hip-hop's legends. From Run-DMC to LL Cool J, the small section of NYC has always seemed to produce great emcees. J.Monopoly has spent his entire life in Hollis. Want to take a guess at what he's great at? Yeah, he can rock the mic. For J.Monopoly the obsession started early and he pushed all other potential hobbies and distractions to the side to focus on music. 'When I did well in school,' he remembers, 'my pops would reward me with a trip to Tower Records and I got to pick out anything I wanted and for Christmas I always got CDs and cassettes.'"

"Now, at the ripe old age of 21, J.Monopoly is poised to be one of the leaders of the next generation of NYC hip-hop artists and this week I caught up with him to find out more about his music, his history, and if there's anyone in the game that the 'Right In The Kissah' emcee would like to give a 'boom, pow' to."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Sullee: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Sullee

From Adam Bernard:

"Boston emcee Sullee is probably most recognizable from his time on The White Rapper Show. The VH1 program put him in a national spotlight until he became fed up with what he was being asked to do and packed his things and left, pride and self-respect in tact. Sullee’s musical journey, however, started long before that experience. Born in 1985 to a young mother and an incarcerated father who didn’t fully become a part of his life until after Sullee’s sixth birthday, Sullee had a budding music career as a member of a kids singing group before he even hit double digits in age."

"After the group disbanded Sullee focused on sports, but at about 15 he realized his NBA dreams weren’t going to become a reality and decided to pursue music full time. This time, however, it wasn’t about singing - Sullee was focused on being an emcee. Now with The White Rapper Show behind him and an album ready to be released in the fall, Sullee is poised to take the next big step in his career, which is why this week I sat down with him to find out more about his music, where he and his fellow Bostonians get their defiant attitude from, and the impact a traveling cartoon mouse had on him."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Breakestra: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Breakestra

From Adam Bernard:

"Funk, jazz, soul, Hip-Hop... Breakestra is all of these things and more. Over the past decade the Los Angeles based group's distinct funky/soulful sound has garnered them both an incredible buzz and a hardcore following and in September they’ll be releasing Dusk Till Dawn, the long awaited follow up to their 2005 effort Hit The Floor."

"According to Miles Tackett, who is the man behind Breakestra (pictured third from the left), the four year wait between albums was due to two years of touring and his own admitted perfectionism when it comes to song creation. Breakestra, in actuality, is less a group and more a musical collective. “It's not a set group of folks,” Tackett explains, “never has been for more than a year due to conflicting schedules, but when we tour I am lucky to have a large roster of talented funkateers ready and able to put it down live.” This week I caught up with the leader of those funkateers and asked Tackett about Breakestra’s history, how their sound developed, and the power of positive music."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Solomon Jazz: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Solomon Jazz

From Adam Bernard:

"Solomon Jazz is an emcee who has been making a name for himself since he arrived in NYC in 2006. Originally from the British Virgin Islands, where his musical influences ranged from Peter Tosh to Public Enemy, Solomon Jazz came to the States in 1996 to attend Hampton University in Virginia. Ten years later he found himself in Brooklyn, NY, emceeing, and getting together with his band, The Vibe, which was named after the musical chemistry they found they had."

"Over the past few years plenty of people have been vibing to the work of Solomon Jazz and this week I caught up with him to find out more about his music, some of the people who showed him the ropes when he first came to NYC, and why he feels everybody getting into Hip-Hop needs a big brother."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Kristen Maxfield Band: Adam's World Artist of [Last] Week

Kristen Maxfield

From Adam Bernard:

"At first glance one might not automatically think "soul singer" when they look at Kristen Maxfield, but at first listen it becomes obvious that the sultry lead singer of The Kristen Maxfield Band is overflowing with soul...and talent. I caught Maxfield and her band in NYC a couple of weeks ago and after seeing their performance and listening to their EP, Whatcha Waitin' For, I knew I wanted to feature them here as an Artist Of The Week."

"This week I linked up with Maxfield to make that happen and we discussed everything from how her sound developed, to why it took her so long to find her way to soul music, to the unique musical title one of her relatives holds overseas."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Swamphouse: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Swamphouse

From Adam Bernard:

"I am a firm believer that everybody needs a little funk in their lives. This is why when I first heard Swamphouse’s The Fade EP it brought both a smile to my face and movement to my feet. The eight man group from Los Angeles knows how to crank out the funk and they do it with aplomb. The Swamphouse team consists of (back row L to R) rapper Pause, piano player TunaButter, who likes to say he’s “funky like tuna, smooth like butter,” bassist Mike aka DJ Navi, trumpet player Forrest aka Forrest Trump, (front row L to R) singer Devin, trombone player Nick T, guitarist Jmfs and drummer Blewfoot."

"This week I caught up with the majority of the group to find out more about their music, what makes funk so special, and how a Polish beer company inadvertently helped set the stage for one of the most interesting nights of their lives."

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.

Zoser: Adam's World Artist of the Week

Zoser

From Adam Bernard:

Chicago has long been a hotbed for Hip-Hop and Zoser is primed to be the next in line to become a part of the city's storied lineage of great emcees. His latest album, which is his third overall, is Day 3: The Science and it features a jazzy blend of music, some lyrical dexterity and subject matters that have real depth and meaning. Zoser is laying his first seven albums out as separate days in a week, saying "the common thread is the fact that I am taking my career and life one day at a time. Growing and learning with each day."

Wanting to learn more about this dynamic artist I caught up with Zoser to find out about his musical background, which includes his father's career as a jazz musician, the ways in which he feels positive thought can play an important role in our everyday lives, and the impact he hopes to have both on music and his local community.

Read the complete interview here.

For previous Artists of the Week see ProHipHop's Adam's World category.